Hurling’s loss was golf’s gain as Enniscorthy left-hander Jason Rackard etched his name alongside the greats with a superb two-stroke win in the prestigious Mullingar Scratch Trophy.

The six-feet five-inch, 31-year-old stood head and shoulders above the rest in the Sherry Fitzgerald Davitt & Davitt and Pinergy sponsored strokeplay classic, which was reduced to 54 holes after Saturday’s second round was cancelled following a lengthy morning fog delay

Tied for third overnight, three shots behind Carton House’s Marc Boucher after an opening 70, the Wexford talent fired eight birdies in a magnificent, seven-under-par 65 yesterday morning to lead by four shots on nine-under-par from Amateur champion James Sugrue, Portmarnock’s James Temple and Kilkenny’s Mark Power.

In the end, he closed with a one-under 71 to win by two strokes on 10-under 206 from Castle’s Robert Moran, who birdied the first, sixth, eighth and ninth to turn in 31 to snatch a share of the lead and set up a fascinating back nine duel.

Rackard had bogeyed the second and eighth to fall back to seven-under but he showed his class down the stretch to pull clear with birdies at the 12th, 14th and 16th and secure the first big win of his career and see his name etched alongside those of Major winners Pádraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry on the old silver cup.

“It’s unbelievable,” said the winner, who is a grand-nephew of the great Wexford hurling triumvirate of Nicky, Bobby and Billy Rackard - his grandfather’s brothers. “I am still in shock but I played lovely golf. 

“This morning was probably the best round of golf that I have ever played. Then this afternoon I played lovely again. I am thrilled.”

Moran put up a great performance to finish second on eight-under after a 67 as Amateur champion Sugrue tied for third on six-under after closing rounds of 69 and 71. Fellow Walker Cup player Caolan Rafferty tied fourth with Kilkenny’s Mark Power, a shot further back.

The Castle golfer eagled the 16th to lead on nine-under but Rackard chipped and putted for birdie at the 14th, got up and down for a great par at the 15th, then hit a 194-yard eight-iron to eight feet at the downwind, par-five 16th and two-putted for birdie.

As Moran bogeyed the 17th after a pulled tee shot and eventually parred the last for a 67 to set the target at eight-under, Rackard’s nerveless finish yielded a famous victory.

“With a four-shot lead you wonder, do I keep the foot down and try and make birdies and maybe make mistakes,” Rackard said of his play on the early holes. “I was a little cautious at times perhaps but when Rob joined me on seven-under, I said right, put the foot down again.

“I hit a great six-iron to around eight feet on 12, made a lovely birdie on 14 and another on 16 as well from 194. I just hit a big hard eight-iron downwind and knew I could cover the bunker at 170 and it came out perfect.”

While his eagle putt was low —  “I was going to hit it outside the hole and hit it on the lip and it dived across the hole” —he tapped in for birdie to go two clear, then finished with two solid pars, hitting a stellar drive at the 17th before two-putting from the fringe at the last for a 71.

“On 17 my play all week was driver down the left and I hit one of the best drives I hit all day and had a great chance from around eight feet. .. I was conscious of not knocking it three feet past.”

Having rededicated himself to golf in 2010, Rackard helped Enniscorthy win the Barton Cup and the Leinster pennant in the Barton Shield the following year.

Hurling was on the back burner after that and buoyed by beating Caolan Rafferty en route to the last 16 in the South of Ireland Championship last year, the plus-two handicapper hasn’t looked back.

“That gave me belief,” he said of his win over holder Rafferty at Lahinch. “The hurling? I played up until three years ago but I prefer the golf. I don’t like getting hit!”

Enniscorthy has a great Senior Cup team and while they are out this year, Rackard believes they can do great things with Sean Cooper the up and coming star and Paul Conroy and Graham Donohoe two very solid operators.

Mullingar Scratch Trophy, Mullingar GC (Par 72)

Sponsored by Sherry Fitzgerald Davitt & Davitt and Pinergy, 15-16 August 2020

Detailed scores

Final

206 J Rackard (Enniscorthy) 70 65 71; 

208 R Moran (Castle) 71 70 67; 

210 J Sugrue (Mallow) 70 69 71;  

211 C Rafferty (Dundalk) 72 69 70, M Power (Kilkenny) 68 71 72;

212 J Doherty (Carton House) 73 72 67; 

213 J Temple (Portmarnock) 70 69 74, A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) 68 73 72, M Boucher (Carton House) 67 74 72; 

214 L Nolan (Galway) 74 71 69, J McDonnell (Forrest Little) 73 71 70, M Kennedy (Royal Dublin) 70 73 71; 

215 G Ward (Kinsale) 73 68 74, J Hill (Galgorm Castle) 70 72 73; 

216 L Grehan (Mullingar) 70 73 73, A Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown) 70 72 74; 

217 P O'Keeffe (Douglas) 72 73 72, D Shiel (Powerscourt) 71 72 74; 

218 J Hewitt (Tandragee) 74 71 73, J Whelan (Newlands) 71 73 74; 

219 J Byrne (Baltinglass) 74 71 74, C Ccampbell (Warrenpoint) 73 72 74, R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 72 74 73, J McCabe (Roganstown) 71 76 72; 

220 D Keating (Seapoint) 74 74 72, D Kitt (Athenry) 73 72 75, A Ryan (Thurles) 70 73 77; 

221 T McLarnon (Massereene) 74 74 73, S Carter (Royal Dublin) 71 77 73, R McCrudden(Royal Portrush) 70 73 78; 

222 G Dunne (Co. Louth) 74 75 73, M McClean (Malone) 74 74 74, A McCormack (Castletroy) 74 74 74;

224 E Sullivan (Carton House) 72 78 74; 

225 G Lappin (Belvoir Park) 74 76 75, D Morgan (Carton House) 74 73 78; 

226 S Murphy (Portumna) 74 78 74, S Hogan (Nenagh) 74 77 75, R Latimer (Knock) 71 81 74.