Walsh wins inaugural Munster Senior Cup Winter Alliance outing at Muskerry

Denis Keane, Muskerry’s Senior Cup captain, presents Douglas’ James Walsh with his prize for his winning 69 in the opening Munster Senior Cup Winter Alliance outing at Muskerry on Sunday.

Douglas’ James Walsh fired a two-under-par 69 to win the first Munster Senior Cup Alliance outing of the season at a wet and windy Muskerry.

Organised by Monkstown’s PGA professional Cian McNamara, four Munster clubs with AIG Senior Cup teams — Cork, Douglas, Muskerry and Monkstown — will compete against each other this winter.

The Alliance is set up so that 10 Senior Cup panellists from each club play a round at each of the four venues with the top five claiming the weekly prizes and the player with the three best cards from four winning the overall top prize.

Walsh opened with three straight birdies at Muskerry and while he bogeyed the fourth and sixth, he birdied the par-five seventh to turn in two-under 34.

After a bogey five at the 10th, he birdied the 356-yard 11th and parred his way to the finish to win by three strokes from fellow Douglas man Karl Bornemann with Muskerry’s Tom Tupper third with a 73.

Douglas’ Peter O’Keeffe shot 74 to finish fourth on a count back from Muskerry’s Ronan Twomey with Muskerry’s John Corcoran sixth with a 75.

Muskerry’s Stephen Riordan and Douglas’ Sean Deasy shot 76 in difficult conditions to take seventh and eighth places respectively as Colin Maguire and Wayne O’Callaghan shot 77s to round out the top 10.

The next event will take place at Monkstown in November (date TBC) with Cork scheduled for December and Douglas for January.

The Senior Cup team managers at each of the four clubs nominate the players for each event.

Munster Senior Cup Winter Alliance, Muskerry GC (Par 71)