Irish champions Maynooth University are battling home and away for golfing supremacy In the European Club Trophy in Cyprus and the Jerry Murray/Waterville Invitational in Co Kerry.

In Cyprus, the Senior Cup winners are tied third behind Racing Club of France in the European Club Trophy after an opening 141 at Minthis Hills Golf Club .

Ronan Mullarney led the way for the students with a one under 70 as team captain Alan Lowry added a 71  to leave them six behind Racing Club de France, who lead on 135.

Mullarney is fifth in the individual standings, four shots off the lead with Lowry tied 12th and Jack Walsh 51st after a 79, 

• Team scoring

• Individual scoring

In Waterville, MU's five man team put on an excellent display taking advantage of the benign conditions at the tough Kerry venue to post a one over total of 289  which included 72s from first year scholars Eugene Smith, Jordan Hood and Ross Steedman.

With four of the five scores to count, international Robin Dawson fired a one over 73 for the final counting card

MU lead by seven shots from UNC Wilmington (296) with Texas A&M a further two shots back on 12 over 298.

In the individual, MU have four players in the top 10 with Smith, Hood and Steedman tied third, Dawson tied eighth.

James Sugrue's 74 left him tied 11th with Texas A&M's Max Miller five in front after a superb, five under 67.

"It was a mixed bag out there today," Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. "[Andrew] Lister and [Ben] Crancer played really solid, even par was a good score.

"With that said, I was surprised that our next best score was five-over. The course is great and this is a fantastic experience, but in the end it's golf, and you have to execute shots to be successful.

"Tomorrow could be really interesting with high winds and rain. I'm looking forward to seeing how we compete.
 
"A lot of great players have competed on this course and for Max to be on top is pretty impressive. 67 is a stellar round, that's pretty obvious when he's the only one under par with a 5-shot lead. I'm very proud of him and excited about his future here at A&M."
 
The field also featured Aggie individuals Jake Goodman (76) and Andrew Paysse (76), who are each at four-over par.

Jerry Murray/Waterville Invitational

• Team scoring

• Individual scoring

• Tee times

GUI wins back Carey Cup — Galbraith takes crucial point

The Golfing Union of Ireland fended of fa late threat by the Metropolitan Golf Association down the stretch to claim the 13th Governor Hugh L. Carey Challenge Cup Matche with an 8-4 victory at Metedeconk National Golf Club on Wednesday

The GUI took a 4-2 lead into the closing singles after Colin Fairweather’s birdie on the 18th hole earned he and Rowan Lester the final point in fourball, as their match was unable to be completed on Tuesday due to darkness.

Lester beat Trevor Randolph 6&5 at No 4 to put the GUI 5-2 ahead but the MGA held the lead in four of the remaining five matches.

Stewart Hagestad of Golf & Body NYC picked up the MGA’s first point in singles play, defeating Stuart Grehan, 3&2 before. Luke Feehan gathered another point for the MGA, defeating Fairweather 4&3 to pull the hosts within one, 5-4.

At the time of Feehan’s win, two matches stood all-square while GUI led one match.

While Komline had rallied back to gain a lead, Alex Gleeson turned momentum back to the side of those from the Emerald Isle, winning both Nos. 17 and 18 for a 1-up victory and a 6-4 overall lead.

Darin Goldstein of Noyac and Joe Saladino of Huntington stood all-square late in both of their matches, but the Irish closed strong down the stretch.

John Ross Galbraith faced a two-hole deficit early, but fought back against Goldstein beginning with a win on the eighth hole. After three-straight halves, Galbraith won four of the next six holes for a 3&1 win, securing the GUI’s clinching seventh point.

Saladino had squared his match with Colm Campbell with a birdie on the 17th, but Campbell responded on the last with a birdie of his own, setting the final score of 8-4.

The GUI now holds an 8-4-1 lead in the matches, halting the MGA’s two-match win streak including its first on foreign soil in 2013. In the last five matches, the record stands even at 2-2-1.

The playing at Metedeconk marked the Carey Cup’s return to the site of the inaugural match. Originally named the Metedeconk International Challenge Cup, the MGA and GUI first met in 1990. The matches were not played in 1994, but returned in 1996 when the late Governor Hugh L. Carey—a proud Irish-American—led efforts to revive the competition to foster sportsmanship between the countries.

Metedeconk once again served as an outstanding host for the international match. The course, meandering through forestland and utilizing the natural terrain, provided prime fall conditions and a strong setup for the high-level match play competition.