It’s likely that very few Cork golfers made it onto the course over the past two weeks with the heavy rainfall, but a there are a few who have been in action in Spain.
David Howard, James Sugrue and John Murphy have all headed south to get in some early season reps as they all build up for the competitive season.
Fota Island’s David Howard was on Ireland duty for the first time in 2026, the 26 year-old was in Costa Ballena for the annual Octagonal tournament.
David was partnered with Isaac Oliver for the first match against England and the pair came good with a 3/2 win.
He followed that with a second win in the singles, again beating Jack Swift.
Oliver and Howard were the only two Irish golfers to win on the opening day meaning that England won on a scoreline of 5.5 – 3.5.
On day two, Ireland faced the hosts Spain however play was reduced due to bad weather.
Just five matches took place, one foursomes match and four singles to ensure all six team members played.
Howard obliged again with a 2 up win over Nicolas Vidalin the last singles match of the day.
That left Ireland with a win and a loss as they headed into the third round of matches against Portugal.
Play was again limited due to weather conditions, with the format changing to six singles matches. Ireland had a 4-2 win over their opponents with Howard taking his third singles win when he closed out his match against Santiago Dias on the 13th green.
Despite having two wins from three matches, Ireland found themselves in third place in the group and headed for the 5/6 place play-off.
Ireland faced Germany and despite losing the first two matches, they ended up winning 3.5 to 2.5.
Howard finished the weather affected week with three wins from the singles, and he no doubt will be happy with positive start to his season.
The 2025 East of Ireland winner is planning to play a few Toro Tour events as his tournament preparation continues.
The West of Ireland season opener takes place in less than 8 weeks time.
John Murphy made a in impressive return on the Winter Tour Marbella where he made 12 birdies and two eagles in his three rounds.
The Kinsale man opened his account for 2026 with an impressive bogey free round of 67 that saw him produce five birdies and 13 pars.
He was in equally impressive form in the second round posting two birdies and an eagle in his first seven holes.
He added another eagle and birdie on the back nine, and two bogies meant he shot a 66 (-6) to lead the tournament on 11 under.
The final day was a mixed bag for Murphy, where the ball dropped for birdie on just three occasions.
He signed for a 74 and finished in 4th place. Murphy, who recorded a top ten finish in the Alfred Dunhill Championship in his first year as a tour pro in 2021 will be hoping that 2026 will see a return to form.
James Sugrue was also in contention at the same tournament. He shot rounds 74, 75 and 72 to finish in 14th place.
While he might be disappointed with the bogey count, he will be happy with the fact that he bagged 12 birdies in the 54 holes which is a positive he can take to the next tournament.
Sugrue and Murphy are back in action this week in Villa Padierna for the next event on Marbella Winter Tour.
Sugrue has a full card on the HotelPlanner Tour and will most likely get his first start at the Cape Town Open in South Africa in two week’s time. He will also hope to make the field in the following two weeks when the tour stays in South Africa.
Golf Ireland launched the draws for the 2026 Inter Club events last week.
There are a total of 12 All-Ireland competitions and 5 Munster competitions.
The early stage of most events will take place in May and June with Kinsale set to host the AIB Senior Cup finals in July.
Muskerry will host the Junior Cup finals, also in July and they will host the two Mixed finals in August.
Mallow will host regional event finals in October and Raffeen Creek will host the Country Clubs final in September.
All the draws, and round dates are available on the Golf Ireland website.
