Murphy & Walker keep their cool at icy Portmarnock Links

Gary Murphy rolled back the years to take home the top prizes alongside Leslie Walker at a bitterly-cold opening test of the new year at the TaylorMade Winter Series at Portmarnock Links.

84 players braved the cold under deceptive blue skies with K Club professional Murphy outscoring his rivals with a 70 to take the Nett prize. The former European Tour man went out in level par mixing a couple of birdies on the 3rd and 5th with a couple of bogeys on the 1st and 7th.

On the back-nine, Murphy’s class shone through, coming home in one-under par, the only player to break par on Tuesday with eight pars and a birdie on 14 accounting for a superb opening score of 2022.

In the Gross competition, Dundalk pro Walker went out in level par with bogeys on the 3rd and 7th but made up for them with birdies on the 2nd and 6th.

Walker came home in level par. After making birdie on the 17th to go 1 under for the day, he would bogey the last for a rock-solid 71, pipping local pro Daniel Mulligan by a shot with Limerick’s Tim Rice back in third.

For those hoping to get involved next Tuesday, a small number of tee-times are said to remain. Well done to all the winners.

4^th January 2022 – Results – Nett:

• 1^st:          Gary Murphy (Pro)                          The K Club                           70
• 2^nd:         Andrew Harte (8.7)                          Rathcore                              70
• 3^rd:         Brian Casey (Pro)                             Unattached                        72

Gross:

• 1^st:          Leslie Walker (Pro)                          Dundalk GC                        71
• 2^nd:         Daniel Mulligan (Pro)                     Portmarnock Links           72
• 3^rd:         Tim Rice (Pro)                                    Limerick GC                        73