Poignant AIG Junior Cup win for Westport
David Scott (Captain, Westport Golf Club) with Tony Bree (Team Captain) after their victory in the Junior Cup Final at the 2019 AIG Cups and Shields Finals at Westport Golf Club. Also in the picture (from left) Colin Browne, Fergus Rothwell, Anto Browne, Niall Keogh, Dave Loftus, Ronan Hehir, Shane Larkin, Sam Gillivan and Ronan Mahon. Picture by Pat Cashman
Hosts Westport shook off their AIG Junior Cup hoodoo with a resounding 4-1 win over Dun Laoghaire.
The Mayo men had lost three finals since 2006 but they were not to be denied on home soil yesterday in a decider that was a lot closer than it looks on paper.
Ronan Hehir beat Brian Begley and Ronan Mahon saw off Patrick McCann to make it 2-0 to the hosts but the third point proved elusive until Anto Browne two-putted the 19th from just off the green to beat Jamie Campbell with a priceless par-four and clinch the winning point.
"It’s brilliant," said Browne who won the decisive point just seconds before Fergus Rothwell made a 25 footer for birdie on the 18th to close out a two-hole win over Kevin Giblin with a birdie. "We’ve been trying to win this for 10 or 15 years now.”
It was an especially poignant win for Westport following the death on Friday of former club and GUI President Gar Golden.
Team captain, Tony Bree said: "We have all played with Gar a lot down the years. I remember back in 2002 in Galway when we were beaten in the Connacht final by Portumna, Gar played in that team, and he was still a fantastic player at that age.
"He was a great clubman, and he was great for the GUI. He was known in golf clubs everywhere, and he will be fondly remembered in golfing circles all over the country.
"Hopefully, he was looking down on us, and he got us over the line."
AIG Junior Cup Final, Westport GC
Westport 4 Dun Laoghaire 1
Ronan Hehir bt Brian Begley 4&3;
Ronan Mahon bt Patrick McCann 3&2;
Anto Browne bt Jamie Campbell 19th;
Fergus Rothwell bt Kevin Giblin 2 holes;
Shane Larkin lost to Sam Varian 2&1.
