Winners Crowned on Final day of Golf Care Matchplay Championship at The Els Club Dubai
The third and final day of play at the Golf Care Matchplay Championship Final, the UK’s biggest amateur golf event, did not disappoint with an outstanding level of golfing talent on display.
Charles and Paul O’Callaghan from Blessington Lakes Golf Club in Wicklow were crowned Men’s Pairs champions with a score of 126. The runners-up, Steven Tidy from Royal Norwich Golf Club and Darren Nichols from Costessey Park Golf Club in Norwich, just missed out on a hole-in-one on the eleventh bringing their final score to 123 points.
Delighted after their win, Paul said, “It has been such a special day and was really enjoyable. We got off to a reasonably good start and made some good up and downs and that gave us some breathing room.
“My highlight has to be getting an eagle on the eighth. I hit a four iron into 30 feet and managed to sink a putt giving us a crucial five points. It was extra special in that it was all captured in front of the cameras, an added bonus!
Tom Muldoon from Cabra Castle Golf Club in Kingscourt, County Cavan took the Men’s Singles title with a score of 118, eight points clear of second place and finishing ten under par.
Tom played an excellent game and proves himself a worthy winner. He said of winning the Men’s Singles, “I’m delighted, I really am. I managed to separate myself from the field with a fantastic round of golf, I’m just thrilled.
“I’d love to take this course back home to Ireland. The greens are super, the fairways faultless and the staff are brilliant as well.
Tom added, “I’ve tried to qualify for the last six years and this is my first trip. It’s hard to believe it was so cold at home during the qualifying rounds in the winter and I was wearing mittens to now playing out here in the final in Dubai and it’s nearly 40 degrees!
Men’s Singles Runner-up, who was eight shots behind him with 110 points, is Chris Wall from Middlesbrough Golf Club.
Finally, in the Mixed Pairs competition, engaged couple Peter Fitzgerald and Leah Plester from Theydon Bois Golf Club in Loughton, Essex, were top of the leader board at the end of the competition with a score of 114 points, six under par and two points ahead of the runners-up on the Els course in Dubai.
After winning the title, Peter said, “It’s been our game plan right from the start to aim to get two points on each hole and give or take we’ve managed to do that. The main thing with the Els course is that as long as you can stay on the grass you’ll score well.”
Leah said, “We had a few missed opportunities out there but we made it and are so thrilled to have won the Mixed Pairs title. The conditions here in Dubai are incredible and we would rather play in these lovely warm and dry conditions rather than in cold, wet and windy Britain!
Peter added, “We’ve already signed up to play in the Golf Care Matchplay Championship again next year and hope we qualify for the final so we can come out here and play on the incredible Els course again and defend our title.”
Joint Mixed Pairs runners-up are husband and wife team, Jeremy and Sarah Cleary, from Woodbrook Golf Club in Wicklow and Stephen Cammack and Sue Clark from Bondhay Golf Club, in Clowne Worksop. Both teams scored 112 points and finished four under par.
John Woosey, Golf Care Managing Director, said, “It was a dramatic climax to the three days of competition with some jaw-dropping shots. This year’s standard has been incredibly high and all the finalists played terrifically well. Everyone has had a memorable time out here and we hope it encourages more to enter next year’s event.”
