Munster triumph gives McGimpsey 14th Senior major
Munster Seniors Amateur Open winner Garth McGimpsey (Royal Portrush) who won the title in Killarney Golf & Fishing Club. Picture: Niall O'Shea
Garth McGimpsey won his second Munster Seniors title and his 14th senior crown to go with his 14 regular majors when he closed with the only sub par round of the day — a one under par 71 — to win by one stroke from Lahinch’s Bob Loftus at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club.
Four behind Killarney’s Cormac Finn after opening with a 74, McGimpsey turned in one-over 36 as he bogeyed the second, birdied the short sixth but then bogeyed the ninth.
He was ruthless on the back nine, however, and birdies at the 12th and 16th gave him a second Munster Seniors crown to go with his 2016 victory at Tramore, winning on one-over 145, adding another chapter to a truly legendary amateur career.
Runner-up Loftus was out early and the Lahinch golfer posted a second successive 73 to set the clubhouse target at two-over 146
As the wind picked up, Loftus’ total looked good enough for overall victory but McGimpsey had other ideas and proved up to the task to claim his 14th senior championship.
Set to turn 64 later this summer, the Bangor great won the 1985 British Amateur Championship, one Irish Close, four West of Ireland titles, three East of Irelands and five North of Ireland Championships.
But he has now won 14 national or provincial titles since he joined the senior ranks in 2010:
Connacht Seniors — 2013, 2016
Munster Seniors — 2016, 2019
Irish Seniors Close — 2011, 2012, 2013
Ulster Seniors — 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
While he made two appearances in the Masters Tournament and helped Great Britain and Ireland win the Walker Cup on US soil for the first time at Peachtree in Atlanta in 1989, his proudest moment came when his playing days were over.
"Of all my wins, the Amateur Championship was obviously special, but funnily enough, it wasn't an individual event that gave me the most pleasure," he said two years ago.
"It was being the winning captain of a Walker Cup team at Ganton in 2003 when we pipped the Americans 12.5 - 11.5 to win for the third time running.
"Noel Fox and Colm Moriarty played that week and to bring at team home like that against all the odds — a team that turned out to have no superstars — it felt as good as all the other wins multiplied by ten. It ticked all the boxes for me at the end of my career.”
Cork’s Pat Lyons was third in Killarney on five over after a second round 72, and Douglas’ Karl Bornemann also shot level par to take fourth place on six-over.
Mahon’s Fergus Golden won the nett, beating Killarney’s Paul Murphy on the countback as overnight leader Finn closed with a disappointing 81 after dropping six shots on the back nine in challenging conditions.
Cork’s Peter Cowley on the Munster Veterans title. A previous winner from 2013, and a winner of the Munster Seniors in 2006, Cowley beat Michael Quirke by one shot.
Munster Seniors Amateur Open, Killarney Golf Club, Killeen Course (Par 72)
Sponsored by Provest Private Clients
WINNER Garth McGimpsey (Royal Portrush) 145
RUNNER UP Bob Loftus (Lahinch) 146
THIRD Pat Lyons (Cork) 148
FOURTH Karl Bornemann (Douglas) 149
FIFTH Sean Alley (Co Tipperary) 150
BEST NETT Fergus Golden (Mahon) 144
SECOND NETT Paul Murphy (Killarney) 144
BEST CAT A 50-54 GROSS John McGinn (Laytown & Bettystown) 150
BEST CAT B 55-59 GROSS Peter Morris (Douglas) 151
BEST CAT C 60-64 GROSS Donie O’Donovan (Bandon) 152
BEST CAT D 65+ GROSS & VETERANS CHAMPION Peter Cowley (Cork) 154
145 G McGimpsey (Royal Portrush) 74 71
146 B Loftus (Lahinch) 73 73
148 P Lyons (Cork) 76 72
149 K Bornemann (Douglas) 77 72
150 S Alley (Co. Tipperary) 75 75, J McGinn (Laytown & Bettystown) 73 77
151 P Morris (Douglas) 76 75, S Magee (Lurgan) 76 75, L Halpin (Westport) 75 76, C Finn (Killarney ) 70 81
152 E Heywood (City of Derry ) 78 74, F Golden (Mahon) 78 74, D O'Donovan (Bandon) 77 75, P Murphy (Killarney) 76 76, J Reynolds (Dungarvan) 76 76, T Cleary (Woodstock) 75 77
153 S Graham (Doneraile) 76 77, M Pierse Snr (Grange) 71 82
154 A Condren (Greystones) 81 73, P Sheehan (Ballybunion) 79 75, P Lewis (Woodbrook) 78 76, B Hobson (Malone) 78 76, J Mitchell (Tramore) 78 76, P Cowley (Cork) 77 77, J O'Brien (Castlemartyr) 74 80
155 M Quirke (Doneraile) 79 76, V Smyth (Co. Louth) 78 77, M McMurray (Royal Portrush ) 77 78, M Ahern (Skerries) 76 79, S Underwood (Co. Sligo) 75 80
156 A Brannock (Newlands) 80 76, A Brown (The Heritage) 78 78, C Murphy (Clandeboye) 78 78, T Lennon (Carlow) 77 79, H Smyth (Mourne) 77 79, J Hughes (Woodbrook) 76 80
157 N Pitches (Paraparaumu Beach NZ) 82 75, M Gaynor (Co. Meath) 77 80, M Darcy (Tullamore) 76 81, A Moran (Tuam) 76 81, B Whitaker (Elm Park) 76 81
158 H O'Leary (Muskerry) 82 76, S Monteith (Slieve Russell) 82 76, M Coote (Tralee) 81 77, J O'Sullivan (Fota Island) 80 78, C Harrington (Oxford City UK) 79 79, M Chambers (Royal Dublin) 78 80, M Galvin (Limerick) 77 81, D McInerney (Lahinch) 77 81, R Joyce (Oughterard) 76 82
159 T Cleary (Cork) 80 79, P Higgins (Naas ) 76 83
160 D O'Loughlin (Galway Bay) 84 76, P Power (Lee Valley) 83 77, F Harrold (Castletroy) 82 78
161 I Harbourne (Newlands) 82 79, A Lilley (Ballyclare) 80 81, M Crowley (Naas) 80 81, B Lavery (Belvoir Park) 79 82
162 B O'Leary (Greystones) 86 76, G O'Sullivan (Tralee) 82 80
163 B Donlon (Birr) 87 76, J McVeigh (Carlow) 81 82
164 K Lawlor (Beaverstown) 87 77, M Davey (Mourne) 80 84
165 D Timbs (Strandhill) 81 84
166 M Leahy (Muskerry) 88 78, T Griffin (Corballis Links) 87 79, J Kelly-Jnr (The Heath) 86 80, S McGarry (Ballymena ) 84 82, M Scott (Hollystown) 84 82, K Sheehy (Athlone) 81 85, S Toomey (Adare Manor) 80 86
167 J Killeen (Claremorris) 87 80, S Keenan (Galway) 85 82, J Gore (Oughterard) 84 83
168 T Tyrrell (The Heath) 86 82, F Flynn (Laytown & Bettystown) 85 83, K Lapsley (Dunfanaghy) 85 83, M Higgins (Connemara) 84 84, J Hooley (Youghal) 84 84, J Crowley (Athy) 82 86, N Mannion (Dun Laoghaire) 81 87, D Varian (Dun Laoghaire) 81 87, J Cullimore (Rosslare) 81 87
169 B Daish (Dun Laoghaire) 85 84, J Noonan (Grange) 84 85
170 J Garvey (Seapoint) 89 81, M Burke (Galway) 88 82, M O'Shea (Co. Louth) 85 85, P Morgan (Co. Sligo) 85 85
171 C Muldowney (Grange) 87 84, J McCarthy (East Cork) 86 85, T Saunders (Ennis) 85 86
172 B McDonnell (K Club) 84 88, P Stevenson (Ballymena) 83 89
173 P Butler Jnr (Newlands) 88 85, J Cleary (Woodbrook) 85 88
174 M Crawford (Bundoran) 91 83, K Ryan (Bandon) 88 86, D Bradshaw (Newlands) 87 87, C Curtis (Newlands) 86 88
176 A Smith (Blainroe) 90 86
179 F McGowan(Snr) (Athlone) 90 89
180 M O'Neill (Clonmel) 95 85
184 D Sheedy (Lahinch) 96 88, D Egan (Moyvalley) 95 89, B Mernagh (Kanturk) 91 93
191 T Mannion (Athlone) 100 91
NR 86 A Murphy (Co. Sligo), 96 V O'Rourke (Naas), 78 T Kelly (Balcarrick), 84 J Hughes (Balcarrick), 80 P Bevins (Mount Wolseley), 79 R Timlin (Galway)
RTD 85 P Clifford (Limerick), 88 R Fitzgerald (Tramore), 90 G Maher (Lahinch)
NR 96 P Fulham (Glenlo Abbey)
RTD 0 D Lindsay (Strandhill)
