Singles Matchplay Result

The final of the singles matchplay competition was played on Tuesday 29th August on the Powerscourt East golf course. The finalists were our president Peter Nolan and our secretary Tony Beckwith. They were blessed with a bright and often sunny afternoon although a strong wind provided an extra challenge.

It was a typical matchplay final. Peter, who was in great form, began the match with three consecutive gross pars, a bogey and another par, so quickly establishing a 2 up lead. At this stage Tony was envisaging an early return to the clubhouse but then with a par on the par 3 fifth and a birdie on the par 5 sixth it was all-square again. In true matchplay fashion, most holes required a par or birdie to win.

At the turn Tony was 1 up, then 2 up after hole 10 but Peter fought back and by hole 14 it was all-square again. Two more holes for Tony and another for Peter left them going down the 18th fairway with a narrow 1 up advantage for the secretary. Both had bogey 5s giving Tony the match 1&0.

Congratulations go to Tony who has played consistently well throughout the season. He is keen to point out that in 12 years with the society he has never previously progressed beyond round 2! He also wants us to mention that Peter was by far the better golfer on the day but the difference in handicaps meant he had a mountain to climb and only missed the peak by one shot! Most importantly, they enjoyed a thrilling game of golf on a fabulous course.

Our sincere thanks go to Captain Niall Cribben and Brian Mulcahy for organising a great matchplay competition, and particularly to Powerscourt Golf Club for their very kind support and for hosting our 2023 singles competition.