There were incredible scenes in Douglas Golf Club on Sunday as the club pulled off an improbable double, winning the AIG Women’s and Men’s Senior Cups.
While both teams fielded strong sides, even one win was unlikely after the first nine holes with both teams trailing their opponents.
The drama unfolded slowly at first when the Douglas ladies staged a comeback when they were up against it.
Áine Donegan and Chloe Ryan won the first two points for opponents Lahinch giving them the lead. Shannon Burke continued her 100% record with another impressive 5&4 win to put a point on the board for the home team and Karen O’Neill levelled the match from the back with a 4&3 win.
Their second successive victory was sealed on the 18th green in front of around 300 spectators. 17-year-old Claudia O’Donoghue calmly rolled her six-foot putt into the cup on 18 to complete the turn around and secure the winning point for Douglas.
“Those girls were amazing,” said Douglas team captain Kate MacCann.
“We were not looking good all the way and Claudia was just always going to do it, she was amazing.
All the girls have been incredible, every single one of them have contributed. We wouldn’t be here but for all of them.
“Shannon leads from the front and she is such an inspiration to all the others. She’s going to win so you know you have that one in the bag.
“I always thought Claudia was going to do it, she’s had a tough week but she’s just come through and I just thought she’s going to shine. She’s just turned 17, she’s fearless and she was loving it.”
Picture: INPHO/Tom Maher
Douglas had beaten Knock in the quarter-finals on Saturday and went on to secure a 4-1 win over County Sligo in the semi-final, with Shannon Burke, Clodagh Coughlan and Karen O’Neill all securing points while Aoife Ní Thuama and Claudia O’Donoghue were called in.
In the men’s match, the underdogs Rosslare were setting the pace and they were up in four matches at one stage around the turn.
Like Lahinch, it was the opponents who put the first two points on board with Gary Collins and Mark Shanahan winning.
Douglas had it all to do, but were buoyed with news of the ladies’ win — and the fact that the players were all back on the course supporting the men.
Peter O’Keeffe levelled his match on the 17th having been down, and went on to hole a birdie putt on 18 to extend the match.
Peter O’Keeffe celebrates sinking a putt. Picture: INPHO/Tom Maher
O’Keeffe won the first point for Douglas on the 19th green and while the crowd were heading back towards the 18th, word came through that Jack Murphy won on the 17th to level the match.
That left Douglas’ fate in the hands of 17-year-old Barry O’Connell. The teenager put his drive on the 18th right into the middle of the 12th fairway, forcing the crowd of around 300 to hastily retreat to give him an angle to the green.
O’Connell launched a ball onto the bank to the right-hand side of the green, and whether it was gravity or the will of the spectators, the ball dropped into the fringe and onto the green.
Rosslare’s Ian Lynch was also on the green in two but O’Connell was one up and had the advantage. After Lynch’s putt slipped by, it was time for Douglas to celebrate.
Picture: INPHO/Tom Maher
O’Keeffe, who won both and Irish Open and Irish Close in a play-off admitted that he felt the pressure coming down the stretch on Sunday.
“It’s the most pressure I’ve ever felt on a golf course,” said O’Keeffe after the win. “We knew we had the team who could do it, it was whether we could get it done under the gun.”
And the 43-year-old summed up what it meant.
“It’s amazing, it’s the best. I’d trade all the other wins for that.
This is different because it’s your club, I’m mad about these lads because I know them all since they were kids.”
Two months ago they secured their first Munster Pennant at the sixth time of asking for this group.
O’Keeffe and his teammates now have an Irish Pennant and a gold medal to mark their historic achievement, the first Men’s Senior Cup for the Cork club.
