Despite the inclement weather last week and the heavy conditions during play in the McCambridge Duffy Pro am at City of Derry from Friday to Sunday, the 18th event played over the challenging parkland course has to go down as one of the most memorable. One of the best entries ever with fifty teams took part in the event.

On the professional side, local professional Michael McGeady from the North West who won the event two years ago, started well on day one with a score of three under to lead by one shot ahead of Damian Mooney, Ted Higgins, Michael Collins and Donal Gleeson. However a two over score on the second day pushed him back in the field, while a four under on the last day got him back into contention until near the end of the tournament.

The most exciting performance on Sunday was that put in by the young unattached Darren McWilliams who with no less than nine birdies posted a phenomenal nine under par to leave him seven under overall, but he was edged out by Peter Martin of the Riverside Golf Academy who with five under on Sunday edged home by one shot. Michael McGeady with an overall five under finished in third place.

On the amateur team’s side, the excitement was even more intense with no clear result until virtually the last team reached the eighteenth hole. The City of Derry team comprising Wyn Donnell, Gary Lecky and Neil Alcock with Darren McWilliams as their professional, believed that their massive 100 points on the third day to give them a total of 270 points would be enough to secure outright victory. However, the Barry Hamill led City of Derry team of Peter Villa, Michael McCullough and Karl Doherty with 92 points on the final day proved to be just sufficient to edge out the McWilliams’ team by one point. John Dwyer of Ashbourne led the City of Derry team of Paul and Robert Glackin and Martin McCormack and their 89 points on Sunday secured the third spot.

One further highlight of Sunday’s play was a ‘Hole-in-one’ at the 15th hole by City of Derry lady Esther Milligan.

The highlight of the prize-giving was the special presentation to the winning team of a trip to Valencia in Spain in mid-October by the Director of the Spanish Tourist Office in Ireland, Mr Jose Manuel. This prize comes on foot of an agreement reached earlier this year between the Irish PGA and the Spanish Tourism Office in Dublin. The team led by Barry Hamill will play over three days against the four other selected Irish winning pro-am teams this season from the Ballyliffin pro-am, the Philip Walton pro-am at Dundrum House, the Quinn Insurance PGA Charity Trophy held at the Slieve Russell Country Club and the Irish PGA Championship. The five teams will play at the Jack Nicholas designed Villaitana course in Benidorm, the Bonalba course north of Alicante and the La Sella in Denia.

Local Insolvency Practitioners McCambridge Duffy have now sponsored the City of Derry pro-am for eight years and Mr Colm Duffy expressed his deep satisfaction during the presentation on Sunday that his company had continued to be associated with what has become a premier pro-am event in the Irish Golfing Calendar and which was originally started by the former City of Derry Professional Michael Doherty.

Results & Report supplied by A A Meenagh City of Derry Captain

 
Professional Results
Pos. Score -Par+ Name Represents R1 R2 R3 GBP
1 205 -8 Peter Martin (IRE) Riverside Golf Academy 70 69 66 2,300.00
2 206 -7 Darren McWilliams (IRE) Unattached 72 72 62 1,800.00
3 208 -5 Michael McGeady (IRE) North West 68 73 67 1,450.00
4= 210 -3 John Dwyer (IRE) Ashbourne 73 70 67 1,175.00
John Kelly (IRE) St.Margaret's Golf & CC 70 71 69

Field of 50 Teams ♦ Amateur Results

*Indicates Break of tie **Indicates Professional

1st Michael McCullough[11], Karl Doherty [17], Peter Villa [12] **Barry Hamill 90 89 92 271pts
2nd Wilf Donnell [9], Gary Lecky [9], Neil Alcock [12],**Darren McWilliams 86 84 100 270pts
3rd Paul Glackin [9], Robert Glackin [12], Martin McCormack [14],**John Dwyer 90 90 89 269pts
4th Graham Hepburn [6], Dan McAnulla [13], Jerome Moore [13], **Brendan McGovern 87 90 91 268pts
5th Maurice Toland [9], Paul Canning [11], Marcus Roulston [14], ** Noel Callan 88 89 89 266pts
6th Kevin Quigg [3], Eamon McCourt [9], Maurice Quigg [16], ** David Mortimer 94 87 85 266pts
7th Tony McCann [16], Jim McDaid [17], Martin Doherty [19], Professional Kevin Dorrian 91 84 90 265pts

Day One
1st John Chambers [13], Cheryl Chambers [21], Brenda Chauhan [16], ** Seamus McMonague 92     *92pts
2nd Brian Abel [21], Eamon Maxwell [20], Sean Kealey [13], ** Seamus Clinton 92     92pts
Day Two
1st M Roarty [6], B Keeney [13], C Keeney [14], ** Conor Mallon   91   *91pts
2nd Pat Joyce [10], Hugh McAlery [16], Joe Craig [18], Professional Geoff Loughrey   91   91pts
Day Three
1st Colin Starrett [3], David McGarrigle [5], Gareth Kelly [11], ** Sean Young     93 93pts
2nd Davey McLaughlin [14], Connor McGettigan [16], Ooran McGettigan [22], ** Michael Collins     90 90pts
Closest to Pin
[15th] – Esther Milligan – “Hole in One”
Longest Drive
[18th] – David McGarrigle
 
 
 
 
 
Images Supplied by Robbie Kennelly
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