Leona Maguire hot favourite to

retain Irish women's championship


NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY IRISH LADIES GOLF UNION
Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) defends her Lancôme Irish Women's Close Championship title when competitors tee off at Fota Island Golf Resort, from Saturday, May 16 to Wednesday, May 20.
As hot favourite to capture this year’s title, Leona, pictured left at Royal Troon by Cal Carson Golf Agency, has made a remarkable start to the 2009 season, winning every event she has entered to date. In late March, she captured the inaugural Woodenbridge Scratch Cup, followed by the French Under-21 Championship at the start of April.
A week later, the prestigious Helen Holm Scottish open stroke-play championship title followed along with boosting Ulster to a fifth successive win in the Girls’ Inter-provincials. The month ended with an emphatic victory in the Irish schools championships when she partnered her twin sister Lisa to glory for Loreto College, Cavan.
Lisa will be looking to stop her sister in her tracks and prevent a repeat of last year’s performance which saw her finish runner-up. Lisa too has made a solid start to 2009, finishing third at the "Helen Holm," and will be looking to claim her first piece of silverware of the season when the Irish close championship tees off on May 16th.
Other players keen to capture the coveted crown will be previous champions Deirdre Smith (Co Louth) and Karen Delaney (Carlow), as well as internationals Niamh Kitching (Claremorris), Gillian O’Leary (Cork), Dawn Marie Conaty (Ashbourne) and Victoria Bradshaw (Bangor).
There is also a host of junior internationals in the field, including the in-form Emma O’Driscoll (Ballybunion) and Laura McCarthy (Muskerry) with the talented Patrice Delaney (Birr) and Sarah Helly (Enniscrone) hot on their heels.
With valuable Order of Merit points on offer, all competitors will be looking to impress the Irish selectors ahead of next month’s announcement of the team of four to play in the Under-18 European team championships in Finland and the team of six to play in the Ladies European team championships in Slovenia, both from July 7 to 11.
The championship begins Saturday, May 16 with the first round of the Leitrim Cup, a 36-hole qualifying stroke-play event. Sunday sees the completion of round two after which the leading 32 players will go into the championship Draw on Monday, concluding Wednesday morning. Those in position 33 through 48 qualify 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. 2009 sees another consecutive year’s hosting of the event, excluding the war years.
Tee times for the qualifying rounds at Fota Island Golf Resort (first time Saturday, second time Sunday):
09:00 & 11:20 Sarah Crowe (Tipperary), Emma Gilmore (Mountbellew), Patrice Delaney (Birr). 09:10 & 11:30 Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell), Gillian O'Leary (Cork), Mary Dowling (New Ross).
09:20 & 11:40 Marian Finn (Thurles), Val Shannon (Douglas), Mary Geaney (Killarney).
09:30 & 11:50 Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell), Laura McCarthy (Muskerry), Karen Delaney (Carlow).
09:40 & 12:00 Mary Sheehy (Tralee), Susan Curtin (Mallow), Ailish Thompson (Douglas).
09:50 & 12:10 Victoria Bradshaw (Bangor), Maria Dunne (Skerries), Anne McCormack Roscommon).
10:00 & 12:30 Deirdre Cahalan (Nenagh), Mary Crowley (Castletroy), Mary Lowney (Dunmore).
10:10 & 12:40 Niamh Kitching (Claremorris), Emma O'Driscoll (Ballybunion), Jenny Gannon (Co Louth).
10:20 & 12:50 Karen O'Neill (Douglas), Deirdre Smith (Co Louth), Helen Jones (Strabane).
10:40 & 13:00 Rhona Brennan (Bandon) Violet McBride (Belvoir Park) Mary Scully (Tralee)10:50 & 13:10 Anna Molloney (Clonmel) Adrienne Crowley (Woodbrook) Noreen Granard (Portarlington).
11:00 & 13:20 Marie O'Sullivan (Mallow) Amanda Welch (Cork) Theresa Delahunty (Rathdowney).
11:10 & 13:30 Nora O'Connor (Mallow) Mary Kavanagh (New Ross) Julie Coyne (Youghal).
11:20 & 13:40 Grainne O'Connor (Skerries) Edel Coyne (Youghal) Maria Cahill (Abbeyleix).
11:30 & 09:00 Niamh Giblin (Dun Laoghaire), Rose Nagle (Fota Island), Claire Keating (Charleville).
11:40 & 09:10 Michele Quinn (Dundalk) Marie Carr (Athenry) Catherine Kavanagh (Mitchelstown).
11:50 & 09:20 Olivia O'Meara (Mitchelstown) Terri Byrne (Coolattin) Patricia McAllister (Laytown/Bettystown).
12:00 & 09:30 Muiriosa Connolly (Lahinch) Mary Mackey (Mallow) Kathleen O'Keeffe (Muskerry).
12:10 & 09:40 Siobhan O'Herlihy (Muskerry) Eileen McMullan (Donegal) Carmel Kearney (Mallow).
12:30 & 09:50 Olivia Conroy (Co. Longford) Yvonne Daly Ryan (Tipperary) Maura Breathnach (Monkstown).
12:40 & 10:00 Trish Doyle (Kanturk) Doireann Carney (Galway) Ruth Maguire (Corrstown)12:50 & 10:10 Pat Doran (Donabate) Lillian Harrington (East Cork) Lynda Maher (Charleville)13:00 & 10:20 Catherine Tucker (Limerick) Vicki Power (Corrstown) Charlene Reid (Royal Protrush).
13:10 & 10:40 Suzanne Corcoran (Portumna), Orla Barry (Galway), Sinead Keane (The Curragh).
13:20 & 10:50 Linda Toomey (Limerick), Tara Gribben (Warrenpoint), Fiona Healy (Headfort).
13:30 & 11:00 Caoimhe Quinn (Dungannon) Carla Reynolds (Seapoint), Aoife Lowry (Tipperary).
13:40 & 11:10 Dawn-Marie Conaty (Ashbourne) Sue Phillips (Woodbrook), Sarah Helly (Enniscrone).
Sandra Barnett
Irish Ladies Golf Union