Mooney collects Conor Mallon Memorial Trophy
26/03/2015
It was an emotional Damian Mooney who received the Conor Mallon Memorial Trophy from Seamus Mallon, father of the late Narin & Portnoo club pro, after the final round of the Desmond Motors Grand Prix Tournament at Lough Erne Resort.
Mooney, left with Mallon, didn’t win the last outing in the Northern region series but, in sharing third place with Castle Hume's Shaun Donnelly, the Ballyliffin golfer gained enough points to top the Order of Merit with a bit to spare.
Noel Murray (Massereene) and former Castle Hume assistant Andy Peoples (Darren Clarke Golf School), topped the leaderboard on one-over-par 73, one stroke ahead of Mooney and Donnelly.
Murray started badly by driving into water at the first which cost him a double bogey six but he fought back with birdies at the fourth and the seventh, after driving the green.
A three-putt on nine saw him to the turn in one-over-par 38 before he came home in regulation 35 with bogey at the 10th cancelled out by a birdie two, from five feet, at 13.
Peoples also dropped a shot at the first hole but went four-two-three for birdies at the fourth, fifth and seventh before closing his front nine with a bogey to turn in one-under 36. Seven pars and bogeys at 10 and 16 saw him come home in two-over 37.
Shandon Park one-handicapper Stuart Bleakley matched the winning pros’ 73 to win the amateurs’ gross prize while Castle Hume manager Pat Duffy took the nett award on 32 points, playing off five. Castle Hume pro Shaun Donnelly and Concra Wood five-handicapper Sylvester Quinn won the team prize with 41 points.
The final round in the Race to the Strand will be played at Portstewart next Monday.
