For the second year in a row, the Senior Scratch Cup at Kilkenny Golf Club was won in a playoff.
Last year’s winner from Nenagh Golf Club, David Redden Jnr was hoping to retain his title but faced stiff opposition.
The event, this year sponsored by Modern Printers, has been running since 1964 with Kilkenny’s Tommy Duggan the inaugural winner. Past winners include Joe Carr, Liam Higgins, John O’Leary, Pat Mulcare, Padraig O’Rourke, Liam MacNamara, Mark Gannon, Damien McGrane, Pádraig Harrington (1992), and Harrington’s current caddie Ronan Flood (1998).
This year two more of Ireland elite posted three-under after 36 holes trying to join the list of Irish Golfing Greats. The opening round produced some scintillating golf with Rob Brazill (Nass GC), after having an eagle on his opening hole, turning in seven-under. However, bogies on 10 & 11 meant he reached the halfway point at five-under.
His main challenger, Jason Rackard (Bunclody GC), played very steady golf to be just one behind at lunch.
Jason, having dropped two shots in the first four holes of round 2, looked in trouble. Keeping cool he found himself one shot ahead after bogies on 5 & 7 by Brazill, as Rackard produced back-to-back birdies on 7 & 8.
Another dropped shot by Rackard on 14 opened the door for Brazill, who in turn dropped another on 17. Undaunted, Rob, stitched his approach on 18 and in securing his birdie took the game to a three-hole play-off.
Rackard seized the advantage on the first play-off hole and never let it slip, running out a one shot winner after a three hole playoff with Rob Brazil, whose birdie on 18 was not enough to take the tournament to sudden death.
Several Kilkenny players mounted a challenge in the early stages of round two, with Richie Walsh getting to within two shots of the leader, only to falter on the back nine. This left the effervescent, Eddie Power, who had a second 18 score of 70 to climb up the leaderboard and finish 4th.
All the action was followed by live scoring and the display of signing & branding from sponsors Modern Printers, took the event to new levels.
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