Moyola Park and Roscommon crowned AIG champions
Moyola Park won the AIG Barton Shield on Saturday. Photo: Thos Caffrey / Golffile.
Moyola Park ended a 47-year wait and won their first Irish pennant as they claimed the AIG Barton Shield with a comprehensive win over Nenagh.
It was the end of a glorious week in Carlow Golf Club and the other major silverware on offer went to Roscommon, who retained their AIG Women’s Senior Foursomes crown with victory against Mallow.
The wins came in quick succession, too, with Tour caddie and former professional Chris Selfridge sinking the winning putt for Moyola Park in their ten-hole win.
He formed a successful partnership once again with Corey Scullion, they were first out for Moyola Park and having come back from a five-hole deficit to win their match the previous day, had the momentum and confidence to build a three hole lead after their front nine.
Semi-final play-off heroes Dean Crawford and Luke Lennox were also quick off the mark, taking the same lead over Nenagh’s David Reddan and Tony Scroope, turning for home.
Neither Moyola Park pair took their foot off the pedal, and their victory was sealed on the 14th hole, Selfridge holing the winning putt to see the club taste All-Ireland glory for the first time ever, a proud moment for team captain Hilary Armstrong.
Roscommon retained the AIG Women's Senior Foursomes title. Photo: Thos Caffrey / Golffile.
“It means a great deal not just for me and the boys, also for Moyola Park, this is our first All-Ireland Pennant, it’s a great achievement. Lost for words,” said Armstrong.
“I didn’t expect that it was actually going to be such a victory, but it’s great. I was dreading it going down tie holes again like yesterday, so it’s great to get it done this way here.
“The guys have all gelled very well from start to finish. Anytime I have asked them to do anything, they have done it for me, they have pulled together, and it’s absolutely brilliant.”
Roscommon successfully defended their AIG Women’s Senior Foursomes title on the 18th green in dramatic fashion.
With match two going the way of Roscommon and match three to Mallow, it came down to match one, Sinead Benedetti and Anne Quirke versus Jennifer Hickey and Nora O’Connor, to decide the destination of the pennant.
Ultimately, the Roscommon experience helped them over the line with Benedetti’s ten-foot putt the clincher for a 1up win and 2-1 success overall.
“We are absolutely thrilled and delighted with ourselves to have done it because it is no easy feat, and even to get to a final is no easy feat, so we got a little bit lucky. But we played some super golf over the three days and I am absolutely delighted for the girls, they well deserve it and it’s well-earned at this stage,” said Roscommon captain Annie Timothy.
“It’s a three-day gig, and you have to play good golf in order to come out the other side; I’m sure on the other half of the draw, Mallow played equally as good golf to get here, but on the day it’s a little bit of luck, along with good golf and there was fabulous golf out there today.
“I was feeling fine after the front nine; I said they are doing it to me again; they are kind of down a bit here and up a bit there, and I said we are still nowhere near the finish line. It was the 17th that gave us a little bit of confidence coming down the 18th, but then we had the little mishap, and we kind of said 19 looks a little bit ominous here.
“But in fairness to Sinead, she had a superb putt to close out the match, and they did absolutely super. Absolutely delighted.”
View the final scoring here