Portumna complete magical double with AIG Junior Cup win
Portumna Golf Club (from left) Michael Flanagan, Ger Lynch, Sam Murphy, Eamonn Devan and Damien Burke winners of theJunior Cup at the 2018 AIG Cups and Shields Finals at Thurles Golf Club. Picture by Pat Cashman
Portumna won the AIG Junior Cup when they beat Belfast club Fortwilliam 4-1 with 16-year old Sam Murphy leading from the front.
The Connacht Under 16 champion claimed a 6&4 win at the top of the order before Gerard Lynch made it 2-0 and Damien Burke closed out the match with a nerveless two-putt par at the 16th at number three.
Fortwilliam’s Declan Hughes was furious with himself when he missed the green left and came up short with his third in a greenside bunker.
Lynch had a 40 footer from the back of the green and after lagging it down to around four feet, he calmly stroked home the putt.
“It's great to finish with a win,” said Murphy, who will play for the Irish Boys in a match against England at Limerick next week having got his handicap down from 3.5 to scratch this year.
“At the start of the year we said it would be great to win an All Ireland with the team, it's unbelievable really. I turned 16 in August and won the Connacht Under 16s Open.
“I'll see now if I can make a Boys’ team and get a few more wins under the belt.”
It was a memorable week for Portumna, who won the Irish Mixed Foursomes title earlier in the week, beating Ballybofey & Stranorlar 3-2 with Junior Cup hero Burke a key member of that side.
AIG Junior Cup Final
Fortwilliam 1 Portumna 4
Gary Brown lost to Sam Murphy 6&4;
Conor Bradley lost to Gerard Lynch 4&2;
Declan Hughes lost to Damien Burke 4&2;
Gary Currie halved with Michael Flanagan;
Eamonn O’Kane halved with Eamonn Dervan.
