On Easter Saturday an awards ceremony was held to celebrate the successes of the Junior members who competed in the 2022 Paul McGinley Cup and Plate Competition.
It was also an opportunity for the Junior members to show their appreciation for all that Daniel McColgan has done for them over the past 4 years in his role as Junior Convenor of the club.
The Paul McGinley Cup and Plate have been in existence for almost 10 years, having been introduced by James Sweeney and Brian Dolan, when they revived the Junior Section a decade ago. Lessons with Club Professional Seamus McMonagle naturally evolved into Saturday morning competitions for those committed, and then to participation in county and provincial team competitions.
The success of the initiative was quickly seen in the results. Silverware in several Donegal Youth team events and being able to hold their own in the Fred Daly competitions were further evidence of the progress made by this first cohort of juniors, many of whom are now regularly to be seen around the club, playing off single figure handicaps or working on the course or in the club. They are taking their place in the fabric of the club and contributing to Dunfanaghy Golf Club’s ongoing success.
The Club is proud that several of these players have been capped at Provincial and National level, with some players having elected to further their golfing career on golf scholarships through the American college system. The Cup and Plate are hard fought competitions, and the list of winners is becoming a Who’s Who of sporting excellence.
2022 was no different and offered up a rematch of 2021’s final, when Lucas Wood got the better of Rory Kelly. However, Rory was not going to let it happen twice and successfully claimed the cup, and with it, bragging rights over older brother Luke, who, despite being off +3, never managed to get his hands on the Paul McGinley cup.
In the Plate, Lorcan Hogg defeated Cormac Gill. Following the distribution of prizes, a presentation of a 4 Ball at Ballyliffin was made to Daniel McColgan. It is a very small token of appreciation to Daniel, whose role as Junior Convenor over the past 4 years was made more difficult by the pandemic.
The Club thanks him again wholeheartedly and wishes Fergal Callan every good wish, as he takes over the reins as incoming Junior Convenor. Finally, the Junior section would also like to thank Ryder Cup Captain, Paul McGinley, for sponsoring this competition.
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