Cassidy clinches maiden Order of Merit crown

DUNGANNON Golf Club’s Kevin Cassidy was crowned the first ever winner of the Disabled and Inclusive Golf Association’s Trevor Hillen Order of Merit last weekend.

The Cookstown man went into the final tournament of the season at Dundrum House Hotel, Golf and Leisure Resort in County Tipperary in with a chance of overall victory but those hopes remained out of his hands.

Cassidy knew if he was to achieve his aim of topping the Order of Merit for the first time, he would have to finish several places ahead of Tullamore’s Caolan Munnelly, who led by four points after the first seven of the eight tournament season.

In the end, Cassidy, thanks to a red hot putter, earned 39 points during his round at Dundrum to finish third on the day and that proved enough for him to become the first ever DIGA Order of Merit champion in the process.

“It feels surreal, it’s fantastic but I didn’t think it was going to happen,” Kevin beamed. “I had a good round and [Munnelly] had an injury but he had a good round of 34 points but thank God I did enough to pip him.”

It wasn’t straightforward for Cassidy, however. He pulled his drive on the first into trouble and that proved a sign of what was to come with the big stick, which failed to fire until just past the midpoint of the round.

Fortunately his putting was in great nick and it certainly lived up to the old adage – driving for show, putting for dough – as far as Kevin was concerned.

“Every time I made a mistake I was able to scramble,” he explained.

“The driver decided to waken up around the 12th, 13th, 14th hole, but the putter saved me.

“I put a ball in the water on the ninth hole, laid up, then chipped to within 30 feet and sunk the putt. That was probably the go to.”

Last Sunday’s success has topped a super year on the fairways for Cassidy, who started his season at the G4D Tour at Ras Al-Khaimah Championship, which was played at Al Hamra Golf Club in Dubai during the build-up to the DP World Tour Desert Classic, which meant that not only did Kevin get the chance to get a feel for what it’s like to play as a professional golfer, he got to meet several too.

As well as chatting to two-time Major winner, Padraig Harrington, he rubbed shoulders with Thomas Bjorn and Rafael Cabrera-Bello.

He followed that up with victory with Ireland in the inaugural Tri Nations event in Dublin, beating England and Wales to the title and he’s hoping to continue his fine form into the new year when he will travel to Portugal for two events.