SHANNON Golf Club was the winner of the 25th JB Carr Diamond Trophy Tournament, played recently.

The over-60s Scotch foursomes took place in Wicklow with over 2,000 players competing from early April across all four provinces.

Over five months, more than 4,000 rounds of golf were played, with the finalists welcomed to Woodenbridge in September after a two-year break due to the pandemic.

The four provincial winners – Royal Curragh, Shannon, Castlebar and Dunmurry – were piped over the iconic bridge at the parklands course on the first evening, following their managers who were holding high their respective provincial flags.

The draw took place that evening, pitting Castlebar against Shannon and Royal Curragh against Dunmurry. Castlebar was the only team to have previously reached the finals.
The Saturday morning brought very wet and challenging conditions, with other courses in the locality closing.

At Woodenbridge, the gladiators competed manfully, with Shannon overcoming the conditions and Castlebar 3/2 with the final match concluding on the 18th hole.

The second semi-final was even tighter with Royal Curragh overcoming Dunmurry on the 19th hole.

Thankfully Sunday was a warm sunny day, but matches remained tight. Dunmurry overcame Castlebar 3/2. In the final, it was a case of new overcoming old – Shannon was formed in 1966 while Royal
Curragh is the oldest course in the country dating from 1858 – with Shannon overcoming Royal Curragh 3/2.

The teams were presented with their prizes that evening by John Carr, who took delight in the fact that Kieran Considine of Shannon got married on Thursday and yet managed to play and win both of his matches on Saturday and Sunday.

The finalists had played 10 games each before qualifying for the Woodenbridge weekend.

The four winning teams were guests of the club for the weekend, enjoying two nights at the Woodenbridge Hotel, as well as the Gala Dinner.