Irish Golf Desk

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GUI releases 2019 fixtures: AIG Cups and Shields for Westport

The par-three fifth at Lahinch Golf Club, The Dell. Picture: Golffile.ie

Lahinch is bracing itself for a busy 2019 as it hosts the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open (July 4-7), the South of Ireland Championship (July 24-28) and the Men’s Home Internationals (Sept 11-13) in the space of 10 weeks.

It will be the first time since 1987 that Lahinch will host the Men’s Home Internationals, where Ireland will be looking for their fifth win in the last six stagings.

The Home Internationals are the highlight of a busy domestic events calendar with County Sligo's hosting of the Flogas Irish Amateur Open from May 16-19 preceding a one-off, stroke play edition of the West of Ireland Championship from April 4-7.

The AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship takes place in Ballybunion from August 3-7 with the Interprovincial Championship visiting Tullamore in the last week of August and the Boys Interprovincial Championships at Athlone from July 23-25.

County Sligo Golf Club will host the West of Ireland and the Flogas Irish Amateur Open in 2019. Picture: Golffile.ie

The AIG Cups and Shields All-Ireland Finals, meanwhile, will be held in Westport while Castletroy (Irish Mixed Foursomes), Roe Park (All-Ireland Four-Ball) and Castle Dargan (Fred Daly, Junior Foursomes and Boys Inter-Club) will be the final destinations for this year’s provincial champions in various categories.

A significant change has been made to the domestic game at Seniors level, with the four Provincial Seniors Championships lowering their lower age limits from 55 to 50 on the recommendation of the Irish Seniors Selection Committee.

The Irish Seniors Amateur Open Championship will remain an over-55s competition in line with those of the four Home Unions and The R&A, but the move by the Branches aligns Ireland’s regional seniors championships with those of Scotland, where regional championships run under the auspices of the Scottish Seniors Golf Society have a lower age limit of 50.

Importantly, an added dimension to Seniors golf at club level in 2019 will be the addition to the calendar of an All-Ireland Seniors Inter-Club competition named after the recently deceased past-President of the Union, Fred Perry.

The Fred Perry Trophy will be an inter-club four-ball championship for teams of 10 players, all of whom must be over 55 years of age on 1st January in the year of the event. Fittingly, the inaugural All-Ireland Finals will be played in Perry’s home club, County Sligo, where he served the Connacht Branch with distinction for 42 years on the West of Ireland Championship Committee.

Golfing Union of Ireland Fixtures 2019

January

10-13: South American Amateur, Santiago

15-20: Australian Amateur, Woodlands/Spring Valley

February

13-16: Portuguese Stroke Play, Montado

17-22: South African Amateur Championship, King David Mowbray

26 Feb-1 Mar: South African Stroke Play Championship, De Zalze

27 Feb-3 Mar: Spanish Amateur, Las Colinas

March

20: Irish Schools Senior Championship – Ulster Finals

April

04-07: West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, County Sligo

09: Irish Schools Senior Championship – Connacht Finals, Ballinrobe

10-12: Ulster Students Amateur Open Championship, Ballyliffin

10-13: Euro Nations Championship, Sotogrande

16-17: Connacht U16 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Galway Bay

17-18: Peter McEvoy Trophy, Copt Heath

20-22: U16 4 Nations Development Matches, Scotland

23-24: All-Ireland Schools Finals, Portstewart

24-26: Ulster Boys Amateur Open Championship, Donegal

25: Munster U14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Tralee

May

02: Connacht U15 Schools Development Event, Ballinrobe

03-05: Lytham Trophy, Royal Lytham & St Annes

03-05: Fairhaven Trophy, Fairhaven

04-05: Munster Stroke Play Championship, Cork

06: Connacht, Fred Daly Stroke Play Qualifying, Athenry

08-09: Leinster Seniors Amateur Open Championship, Carlow

14: Brabazon (North) Qualifier, Lindrick

14: Brabazon (South) Qualifier, Hindhead

16-19: Flogas Irish Amateur Open Championship, County Sligo

22-24: Irish Seniors Amateur Open Championship, Belvoir Park

25-26: Munster Mid-Amateur Open Championship, Gold Coast

27-28: Ulster Stroke Play Championship, Galgorm Castle/Massereene

30 May- 02 Jun: Brabazon Trophy, Alwoodley

June

01-03: East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, County Louth

05-07: Munster Students Amateur Open Championship, Tipperary

06-08: European Mid-Amateur, St Laurence

07-09: St Andrews Links Trophy, St Andrews

07-09: Arnold Palmer Cup, The Alotian Club

08-09: Connacht Stroke Play, Portumna

12: Fred Perry Trophy Connacht Final 1st leg

13-15: European Seniors Individual Championship, Golf Patriziale Ascona

17-22: The Amateur Championship, Portmarnock/The Island

18-19: Munster Seniors Amateur Open Championship, Killarney (Killeen)

19: Fred Perry Trophy Connacht Final 2nd Leg

20-21: Leinster U16 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Beaverstown

21-23: Henry Cooper Junior Masters, Nizels

22: Connacht Nine Hole Course Inter Club Provincial Final, Dunmore Demense

22-23: Ulster Mid-Amateur Open Championship, Rosapenna

25-28: Irish Boys Amateur Open Championship, New Forest

25: Ulster U14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Lurgan

26-29: European Individual Championship, Diamond CC

July

01: Irish Boys U18 Inter-Club Qualifier (Kenny Cup), Ballyhaunis/Glenlo Abbey

02-04: Ulster U14 Boys Amateur Close Championship, Blackwood

03-05: Connacht Boys Amateur Open Championship, Oughterard

03-05: Irish Seniors Amateur Close Championship, TBC

04-07: Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, Lahinch

08: Leinster U16 Boys Amateur Close Championship, Ashbourne

08-12: North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Portstewart

09-11: Leinster Boys Amateur Open Championship, Waterford

09-13: European Amateur Team Championship, Ljunghusen

09-13: European Boys Amateur Team Championship, France

10: Connacht U14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Ballinasloe

10-12: Ulster U16 Boys Amateur Close Championship, Dungannon

16-17: Munster U16 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Ballykisteen

16-18: McGregor Trophy (English U16 Boys), Radcliffe on Trent

19-20: Irish Mixed Foursomes – Connacht Finals, Ballaghaderreen

20-21: AIG Junior Cup & Pierce Purcell Shield – Leinster Finals, Greenore

20: AIG Jimmy Bruen & Pierce Purcell – Munster Finals, Nenagh

23-25: Boys Under 14, Under 16 & Under 18 Interprovincials, Athlone

24-28: South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Lahinch (Old Course)

25: Connacht U12, U14, U16 & U18 Close Stroke Play Qualifiers, Ballina/Tuam

25-27: European Young Masters, Czech Republic

26-27: AIG Jimmy Bruen & Barton Shield – Leinster Finals, Royal Tara

29: Irish Junior Foursomes – Ulster Finals, Spa

29-30: Irish Junior Foursomes – Connacht Finals, Castlerea

30-31: Ulster Seniors Amateur Open Championship, Lough Erne

31 Jul-02 Aug: Senior Amateur Championship, North Berwick

August

01-02: Irish U14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Greenacres

03-07: AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship, Ballybunion

06-08: Boys Home Internationals, Ashburnham

06-08: Reid Trophy (English U14 Boys), Trentham

06-07: Ulster U16 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Carnalea

09-11: AIG Cups and Shields Connacht Finals, Westport

10: Irish Mixed Foursomes – Munster Finals, Castletroy

11: AIG Junior Cup – Ulster Finals, Lisburn

11: Ulster Scratch Foursomes Championship, Malone

11-12: Scottish U14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Newmachar

12: Connacht U12, U14, U16, U18 Close Championship Finals, Mountbellew

12-18: US Amateur Championship, Pinehurst

14: Munster U15 & U17 Boys Amateur Close Championship, Cobh

16-18: Welsh Amateur Open Championship, Prestatyn

17: AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield – Ulster Finals, Edenmore

17-18: Connacht Mid-Amateur Open Championship, Roscommon

18: AIG Senior Cup – Ulster Finals, Belvoir Park

19: Fred Daly Trophy – Munster Finals, Clonmel

20: Irish Junior Foursomes – Munster Finals, Clonmel

21-23: Irish U16 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Donabate

23-25: Scottish Mens Amateur Open Championship, The Duke’s

24-25: AIG Senior Cup – Leinster Finals, Blainroe

24: Irish Mixed Foursomes – Ulster Finals, Bangor

24: AIG Pierce Purcell Shield – Ulster Finals, Kilrea

24-25: AIG Barton Shield, Senior Cup & Junior Cup – Munster Finals, Tramore

25: All-Ireland Four-Ball – Ulster Finals, Killymoon

25: AIG Barton Shield – Ulster Finals, Royal Belfast

27-28: Connacht Seniors Amateur Open Championship, Tuam

28-30: Men’s Interprovincial Championship, Tullamore

28-30: Irish Students Amateur Open Championship, TBC

30-31: Jacques Leglise Trophy, Aldeburgh

September

01: All Ireland Four-Ball – Munster Finals, Mitchelstown

01: Fred Daly Trophy – Ulster Finals, Portstewart

03-05: Italian U16 Amateur Open Championship, Biella

03-07: European Senior Team Championship, Rungsted

06-07: Irish Mixed Foursomes All-Ireland Final, Castletroy

07-08: The Walker Cup, Royal Liverpool

07-08: Leinster Mid-Amateur Open Championship, Headfort

08: Fred Perry Trophy – Munster Finals, Cork

11-13: Home Internationals, Lahinch

14-15: All-Ireland Four-Ball Finals, Roe Park

17-19: Seniors Home Internationals, Alnmouth

19: Connacht Section: Irish Junior Schools Championship, Ballinrobe

20-22: AIG Cups and Shields All-Ireland Finals, Westport

26 Sep: Connacht Section: Irish Schools Senior Qualifiers, Tubbercurry/Gort

26-27: Fred Perry Trophy All-Ireland Finals, Co Sligo

28-29: Fred Daly, Junior Foursomes & Boys Inter-Club All-Ireland Finals, Castle Dargan

28-29: Irish Mid-Amateur Open Championship, Royal Belfast


October

11-13: Ireland U16 V England U16, Hunstanton

24: Ulster Schools Scratch Championship, Kirkistown Castle

24-26: European Club Trophy, Golf du Médoc Resort

29: Leinster U14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Elmgreen

30 Oct-01 Nov: Munster Boys Amateur Open Championship, Ballybunion (Cashen)