Barton Shield v Malahide: What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger!

Sutton suffered an agonising 19 th hole defeat against Malahide in third round of Barton Shield. The prize on offer was a Quarter Final place against last year’s winners (Castleknock) so there was no lack of motivation for both teams, and this showed in the exceptional level of golf produced notwithstanding the conditions. The weather conditions can only be described as violent, a Westerly gale that got stronger the closer the start time came andwas unrelenting for the entire match.

Sutton lined out as in the previous round with Kieran O’Byrne & Paddy Lennon leading out, followed by Sam Kelly and Bruno Lupo. Both pairs were out of the traps quickly and established early leads, playing some sublime golf along the way. Kieran (fresh from shooting a remarkable 73 gross in Saturday’s Medal in similar conditions) and Paddy settled into their normal rhythm of consistent hitting of fairways and greens. Such was their accuracy that many of the large crowd started to wonder could they feel the wind at all ? They established a 3 up lead but Malahide fought back gamely to bring it back to All Square after 9.

In the second match Bruno and Sam were also playing superb golf and reached the turn in a remarkable 2 under gross for a healthy 4 up lead. The Barton Shield is played as aggregate match scores which creates a somewhat different dynamic compared to other interclub formats and is essentially a single 36-hole match. Kieran and Paddy won the 10th hole and Sutton were now aggregate 5 up but with 17 holes remaining no-one was ‘counting any chickens’.

Malahide certainly weren’t giving in and they battled their way back into the match on the back nine with some sparkling golf, particularly from the second pair, the young O’Neill brothers. Gavin and Sean are +3 and +2 handicaps and have been involved in numerous underage Interprovincial and International squads in recent years, the experience gained stood to them as they unerringly stuck to the task in hand.

So the matches ebbed and flowed as the remaining holes progressed. Kieran and Paddy dug deep winning 17 & 18 with two incredible pars to finish 2 up and all eyes turned to the second match which was now Malahide 1 up after 17. We only needed a half on the last but Malahide made a superb par from way left on the 1st fairway to bring the match down the 19th hole. Both teams went for the green with Malahide just short and Sutton rather unluckily running through the back. Much debate ensued amongst the crowd as to which position was more favourable, with most of the “Sutton Sages” agreeing that it was advantage Malahide. So it proved, with Malahide’s putt up the hill proving significantly easier than a delicate chip from off the back and they won out.

Whilst incredibly disappointing to bow out in such an agonising manner, the performances from each of the team were exceptional. Some of the highlights which deserve mention were Bruno’s 2-iron to 10 feet on 8 (from 200 yards in a squall); Paddy’s wedge to 2 inches on 13 (following a “discussion” around where said drop should be taken); Kieran’s masterful dagger like 3-iron to 17th green (with opponents on the beach) and Sam’s laser 6-iron to 6 feet on 9 to set up an easy birdie. This season has been about re-establishing Sutton as a competitive force at the highest level of Interclub Golf and in competitions that we have not competed in for many years (Barton Shield, Senior Cup, Junior Cup). As Captain James noted at dinner, the level of disappointment felt in this loss confirms this has been achieved!

Sincere thanks to all of the players who played their hearts out and to the many supporters who turned up in such awful weather. The course, as always, was in superb condition and it was a treat to see such high quality golf being played once again on our links. If ever proof was needed that our course is an exceptional match play venue, yesterday provided it!

No doubt, we will be back stronger next year!

Far and Sure

Mark Hogan

Sutton V Clontarf Match Report:

Sutton turn on the style with a convincing win against Clontarf in Round 2 of the BartonShield winning by an aggregate 7 up!

The new format for Barton Shield means both matches are played at the home venue and we were determined to make home advantage count. Preparation started in earnest amonth ago with many practice matches played both within the squad, against the Barton Cup team and in the Scratch match play competition. The sharpness gained was clearly evident in the performances of the players, both individually and as foursomes pairings.

Leading the team out were the ever-dependable Kieran O’Byrne and Paddy Lennon against two of Clontarf’s up and coming youngsters. As everyone knows, Kieran likes to play at a good pace and the Sutton pair immediately put the foot down going two up after two holes, a lead they never surrendered with a masterclass in consistency. Stress free regulation pars and the odd birdie were the order of the day, Clontarf were scrambling well for halves until the match concluded 2 up on 15.

The second pairing of Bruno Lupo and Sam Kelly were up against Clontarf’s best player off scratch handicap and a chap wearing very bright blue socks (Bruno was particularly thrown by such a horrendous fashion faux pas). Our lads were a little slower out of the blocks in this match and found themselves two down after four holes. However, things turned around dramatically with a blistering run of 6 birdies in 10 holes from the 6 th (8 if concessions are counted!), culminating in a chip in birdie on 15 to close out the match 5 up.

Overall, a fantastic win with some incredible golf played and as Captain James remarked afterwards, great to see such top-class golf in Sutton GC again. The investment in our “Premier Players” is a longer-term project but it is rewarding to see some positive short- term results, particularly following near misses in both Junior & Senior Cups.

Finally, a huge thanks to the Sutton faithful who turned out in big numbers to support, very much appreciated by the players and management. The course was, once again, in superb condition and the Clontarf players were all generous in their praise of both our course and the hospitality received.

We play Malahide in Round 3, with home advantage again and very much looking forward to the challenge.