TRICIA MANGAN GOING FOR TITLE

HAT-TRICK IN IRISH LADIES CLOSE

CHAMPIONSHIP NEXT MONTH

FROM THE IRISH LADIES GOLF UNION WEBSITE:

Tricia Mangan (Ennis), pictured right, looks to make it three in-a-row when she tees it up at this year’s Lancôme Irish Ladies’ Close Championship at Lahinch, 19-23 May.
Not since Claire Hourihane’s victories at Cork, Co. Sligo and Waterville in the early eighties has the feat been achieved, although Alison Coffey surrendered her treble attempt to Rebecca Coakley in the final at Cork in 2002.
Ireland’s top amateurs will be keen to impress the LGU selectors who will announce the GB&I team to play Europe for the Vagliano Trophy at St. Andrews Bay following the British Matchplay in mid June.

The (Irish) Championship begins Saturday, May 19 with the first round of the Leitrim Cup, a 36-hole qualifying strokeplay event. Sunday sees the completion of round two after which the leading 32 players will go into the Championship Draw on Monday, concluding Wednesday afternoon. The next 16 qualifiers play for the Ita Wallace Trophy.
The Lancôme Irish Ladies’ Close was first played in 1894, just one year after the foundation of the Irish Ladies’ Golf Union, the oldest national union or association in ladies’ golf.

2007 sees another consecutive year’s hosting of the event, excluding the war years.

Munster Champion Gillian O’Leary (Cork), Marian Riordan (Tipperary), Deirdre Smith (Co. Louth) and Maura Morrin (The Curragh) will arguably pose the most serious threat to Mangan’s title aspirations while Eileen Rose Power (Kilkenny) makes a welcome return to the ILGU’s blue riband event.
Entries received to date:

Orla Barry (Galway), Kay Bermingham (Youghal), Dawn Marie Conaty (Ashbourne), Charlotte Crowe (Tipperary), Sarah Crowe (Tipperary), Jennifer Gannon (Co. Louth), Margaret Hayes (Tralee), Fiona Healy (Headfort), Gemma Heggarty (Greencastle), Vivienne Houston (City of Derry), Helen Jones (Strabane), Sinead Keane (The Curragh), Lynda Maher (Charleville), Louise Mernagh (Woodenbridge), Mai McCann (Nairn & Portnoo), Claire McGonagle (Whitekirk), Darragh McGowan (Ballybofey/Stranorlar), Gertie McMullan (The Island), Ruth Maguire (Corrstown), Maura Morrin (The Curragh), Shauna O'Brien (Clonmel), Sheena O'Brien Kenney (Grange), Hannah O'Connor (Loughrea), Sue Phillips (Woodbrook), Eileen Rose Power (Kilkenny), Deirdre Smith (Co. Louth), Holli Snelling (Killarney), Catherine Tucker (Limerick).