Historic Junior Cup success for Athlone Golf Club

Athlone Golf Club ended a 67-year wait for All-Ireland success when the club’s Junior Cup representative team claimed a prestigious green pennant in Clane, County Kildare, on Friday.

Millicent Golf Club provided the backdrop for this historic success as a team comprising Marc Butler, Adrian Kelly, Taylor Kelly, Shane Kelly and Jed Moylette claimed the honours with strong matchplay performances in the All-Ireland finals.

Royal Curragh were defeated in the quarter-final on Thursday before the players conquered Clontarf in a semi-final tie played on Friday morning. Momentum now flowing with every golf swing, the scene was set for an afternoon final against Tramore Golf Club where success was secured when Moylette holed the all important winning putt.

Speaking to the Westmeath Independent on Monday, Athlone Golf Club captain Tom Dolan paid tribute to the team’s resolve throughout the competition and commended the work of Junior Cup team captain, Marc Butler, and club member, Gerry Brennan, who have been “instrumental” in the growth of junior golf at the club in recent times.

“To finally win a green pennant after 67 years is a remarkable achievement. Our previous All-Ireland success was in 1959 when the club won the Barton Shield. The club has been in existence since 1892 so Friday’s win was long overdue,” Dolan said.

Reflecting on the growth of junior golf at Athlone Golf Club, Dolan said that there are now 240 boys and girls playing the game at the Lough Ree course.

“We actually had to close off our junior membership in April such was the demand for membership at junior level. We are remodelling our golf club to build a strong junior programme and the All-Ireland win on Friday is proof that it is working,” Dolan stated.

The Junior Cup team boasted a cross-section of adult and junior playing members. Dolan lauded the work of team captain Butler, who was able to “build a bridge” between all members of the team, despite their respective ages.

“Marc served his role as team captain phenomenally well. He had stepped away from golf for a 15 year period, so to see him return with such success is fantastic,” Dolan added.

The younger members of the team, Jed Moylette and Shane Kelly, also came in for special mention from the club captain. Moylette sank the winning putt in a final where he played the course “bogey free” winning all three of his All-Ireland series matches. Kelly also achieved three successive match wins on the Millicent golf course.

“The whole team played competitive golf to an extremely high level. They can’t be faulted,” Dolan added.

The Junior Cup is comprised of players with handicaps of 2.5 or more, Dolan acknowledging that the standard of competition from the provincial competition to the All-Ireland series being “exceptionally strong”.

He believes that the win will inspire the current crop of junior golfers at Athlone Golf Club and ultimately “drive on” all the club teams towards potential future All-Ireland success.

Dolan also paid tribute to the club’s supporters who made the journey to Millicent Golf Club to witness history in the making.

“Our supporters travelled in big numbers to share in the team’s success and when the players returned to the golf club rightly provided a guard of honour for the players as they entered the clubhouse with the cup. It was an occasion to remember,” Dolan said.

Meanwhile, Junior Cup team captain Marc Butler continues to bask in the All-Ireland winning achievement. Prior to Friday’s success, he had played in seven All-Ireland golf semi-finals without claiming a win. The Junior Cup success eradicated all those previous losses, a sense of elation palpable in his vocal tone.

“It’s been an honour to lead this team to victory. I was part of previous club teams to compete at All-Ireland level without success, but thankfully, we have finally got our hands on a green pennant after all these years,” Butler said.

Appointed Junior Cup team captain at the start of the year, Butler was of the view that there was enough golfing talent within the team to “go far” in the competition.

Momentum built throughout the Connacht campaign, but he felt playing three matches in two days in the All-Ireland finals might take its toll on the team. However, he was “more than happy” to be proved wrong!

The team captain led by example winning his semi-final and final matches, setting the tone for what was to unfold on the fairway to success. “Over 300 teams compete for the Junior Cup so this is a massive achievement for Athlone Golf Club. In GAA terms it is the equivalent of winning an All-Ireland club title,” Butler added.

Butler was effusive in his praise for his teammates and also credited the impact of assistant team captains Rod Tierney Jnr and Declan Hynes. He also thanked all the supporters who travelled to Millicent GC and were out in “great numbers” to welcome them home.

“There were over 200 supporters waiting for us on our return to the club on Friday night and the celebrations that followed were worthy of what has been a remarkable achievement,” Butler said.