Whelan wins Munster Strokeplay by seven; next up Flogas Irish Amateur Open
Jake Whelan (Grange) winner of the Munster Men's Stroke Play Championship at Cork Golf Club 01/05/2022 Picture: Golffile | Thos Caffrey
Grange’s Jake Whelan fed off his breakthrough win in last year’s Mullingar Scratch Trophy to romp to a wire-to-wire seven-shot win in the Munster Stroke Play at Cork Golf Club.
Buoyed by his win in Mullingar the Dubliner opened with rounds of 64 and 69 to surge five ahead before closing with scores of 68 and 71 to win on 16-under par 272 from Cork's Gary O'Flaherty.
“It was hard to know what to do today,” said the former Newlands man. “I wanted to get off to a fast start, but only had one birdie in the first six holes. I was bogey-free this morning, which really helped in the afternoon.”
Jake Whelan (Grange) winner of the Munster Men's Stroke Play Championship with Under 25 winner Joshua Hill at Cork Golf Club 01/05/2022 Picture: Golffile | Thos Caffrey
He posted a four-under 68 to extend his lead, then made four birdies and three bogeys in a final round 71 to win with ease from O’Flaherty, who shot a fine 67 in the afternoon to finish on nine-under.
Galgorm Castle’s Joshua Hill finished in third place on six-under after a brace of 69s on Sunday to win the Bruen-Carr Trophy for the leading Under-25 player.
Castleknock’s Paul Coughlan and Westport’s Harry Gillivan both played with Whelan in the final group on Sunday and finished in fourth and fifth places respectively.
Whelan won the Mullingar Scratch Trophy in a similar format last year, and he felt his performance in the opening round was crucial to the win
“I played well on Saturday morning, when I went early,” he told Golf Ireland. “It made going out in the afternoon far easier. I love playing parkland golf. I find it more predictable than I do on the links courses.”
With the Flogas Irish Men’s Amateur Open taking place in less than a fortnight, Whelan feels his game is in a good place heading for The Island.
“I haven’t played the course since they made the changes, so I’ll try and get out there before the competition. If I can play tee to green like I did this week, I’ll be happy.”
