Keeling and Neville take spoils in opening TaylorMade Winter Series outing
Sean Keeling (Roganstown). Picture by Pat Cashman
Roganstown’s Sean Keeling and home player Tynam Neville claimed the prizes in the first TaylorMade Winter Series event of the season at Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links.
The sell-out event, where each player received a complimentary sleeve of the new TaylorMade TP range, had a bumper entry of 110 on a day when a stiff northwest win meant a tough battle home on the back nine.
In the gross, young Roganstown star Keeling (14) fired a two-over 73 to win by a shot from Laytown and Bettystown’s Cian Geraghty with professional Brian Casey third after a 74.
Playing off plus 2.1 following a superb season that saw him help his club win the AIG Senior Cup and the Fred Daly Trophy. Keeling teed it up with West of Ireland champion Hugh Foley and it clearly inspired him.
He went out in level par, mixing birdies at the fifth, sixth and seventh before dropping five shots in his next four holes — going bogey, double bogey, bogey, bogey from the eighth to the 11th — before finishing with seven pars.
Geraghty, who has now turned professional, was out in two-over and home in one-over as he mixed birdies at the fourth, sixth and 10th with bogeys at the second, third, 15th and 18th and a double-bogey at the seventh, which was playing into the wind.
Back in action after taking a break from golf, Casey went out in one-over as he mixed an eagle at the fourth with bogeys at the third, seventh and ninth. He would go on to bogey the 11th, birdie the 13th before then dropping further shots at the 15th and 18th
In the nett, Neville shot 70 off 10, his handicap adjusted for the day from 7.4 to win by four strokes from Fermoy’s David Lynch, a five-handicapper who played off seven.
Lynch edged out Corballis Links Jack Kelly for second after a countback.
TaylorMade Winter Series, Portmarnock Links (Par 71)
Nett:
Tynam Neville (10) Portmarnock Links 70
David Lynch (7) Fermoy GC 74
Jack Kelly (7) Corballis GC 74
Gross:
Sean Keeling (+2) Roganstown GC 73
Cian Geraghty (Pro) Laytown & Bettystown 74
Brian Casey (Pro) Unattached 74
