37 Irish heading to Q-School
Walker Cup player Niall Kearney is one of 37 Irishmen who have entered the first stage of the European Tour Qualifying School later this month.
The 21-year old Royal Dublin amateur will tee it up in a 115-man field at Fleesensee Golf and Country Club near Berlin from September 22-25 alongside Justin Brink and fellow South of Ireland champions Mark Campbell and Mervyn Owens.
Kearney is one of six Irish amateurs amongst the 749 hopefuls who will begin their bids of European Tour cards at stage one. The others are Ulstermen Byron Campbell and Ruairi McGee, Newlands’ Irish international Cian Curley, Royal Dublin’s Neil O Briain and Portmarnock’s James Fox.
Portstewart’s Paul Cutler, who was disappointed not to make the Walker Cup side this year, has not entered.
Maybin the toast of the Five Corners
The Ulsterman, 28, got sponsorship from his pals at the Five Corners in Ballyclare when he was battling to make the breakthrough, as well as from the Team Ireland Golf Trust.Four year later, Maybin is leading the race for Rookie of the Year honours on the European Tour after taking his season’s earnings to €204,053 thanks to his sixth place finish in Sunday’s Malaysian Open.
Sports Council congratulates Caldwell and Hoey
Hoey will join another player supported by the Trust, Gareth Maybin, who secured his 2009 tour card through the Challenge Tour.