Niall O’Neill captures Blaine Nugent’s Captain’s Prize

NIALL O’Neill was a man apart during Blaine Nugent’s Captain’s Day at Dungannon Golf Club on Saturday.

In glorious sunshine, he traversed the parkland course in 45 points to win the coveted prize by three strokes from Jim Burnside, who edged out Ronan Mulgrew to take the runner-up spot by virtue of a better back nine.

Harry McBride finished fourth with a 41 points return, while Dwayne Mallon warmed up for his quest to qualify for The Open, which begins at the Island on Monday, with a sensational 66 to take the gross prize.

Results

Captain’s Day

Winnerm Niall O’Neill, 45 pts; 2nd, Jim Burnside, 42 pts BB9; 3rd, Ronan Mulgrew, 42 pts; 4th, Harry McBride, 41 pts BB9; Gross, Dwayne Mallon, 66; Section Prizes: 0-10, Bobby Fay, 40 pts; 11-17, Kevin Hamilton, 41 pts; 18+, Sean McGareth, 41 pts; Visitor 1st, Joe Diamond; Visitor 2nd, Thomas McKeever; Past Captain, Noel Gormley; Council Member, Anthony Cush; Ladies: Winner:, Paula Ritson, 39 pts; 2nd, Lorraine Wilson, 38 pts BB9; 3rd, Eileen McLean, 38 pts; Best Gross, Sarah Rafferty; Captain’s Prize for Juniors, Ronan McCausland; Best Junior during Captain’s week, Matthew Smith; Juniors without handicaps 11-17 yrs, James O’Neill; Juniors without handicaps 4-10 yrs, Dan McCann.

Meanwhile, over 220 men competed the previous weekend for the Captain’s Cup. Despite the wet weather, scoring conditions were surprisingly favourable.

Finbarr Hughes emerged victorious with an impressive 43 points. Close behind were Eddie Quinn and Ronan Mulgrew, both finishing on 42 points. Eddie secured second place thanks to a stronger back nine.

Conor McCaughey completed his round in 71 strokes— one under par— earning the prize for the best gross score. Section prizes went to Philip Mallon, Martin Stringer and Joe McCaul.

A big thank you to Menarys for generously sponsoring the competition.

Dungannon Golf Club welcomed over one hundred golfers to the course for its recent Men’s Wednesday Open, held under ideal playing conditions. The event saw a strong turnout and some exceptional performances.

Danny McCann emerged as the overall winner with an impressive 43 points. He was closely followed by Stephen McCann and Willie Haydock, who secured second and third places, respectively.

Donal O’Neill claimed the prize for the best gross score, completing his round in just 73 strokes.

A standout moment of the day came from Steven White, who achieved every golfer’s dream — a hole-in-one. Steven aced the challenging 11th hole, marking a remarkable highlight in his round and earning well-deserved applause from fellow competitors.

On Sunday, June 8, the Ronan Rafferty (Junior) team, captained by Charlie Foster, hosted Portadown in the first leg of their second-round match. All five matches were closely contested, but Dungannon showed great determination and came away with a strong 12.5 to 7.5 lead, laying a solid foundation for the return leg.

The matches were played in excellent spirit, and the team is looking forward to the away fixture in Portadown in two weeks’ time.

Well done to the players and to their coaches, Stefan Ackermann and Johnny Mallon!

Last week, Dungannon Ladies competed in the Daisy Ferguson Greensomes competition, a paired event with a restricted combined handicap, as winners qualify for a regional final hosted by Royal County Down.

In this format, both players tee off, select the better drive, and then play alternate shots until the hole is completed. It’s a slightly more forgiving version of foursomes, but still presents a fun challenge.

Perfect playing conditions and a beautifully groomed course led to high scores across the board. The winning pair, with a fantastic 42 points, was Lorna Stewart and Grainne Smith. Runners-up were Magdalen Maneely and Eileen McLean with 40 points. Congratulations to all who took part, and best of luck to Lorna and Grainne in the regional final this July!

In the nine-hole competition, Briege McQuaid claimed victory with 18 points.

Paula Ritson was runner-up with 17 points, edging out Karen McKillon on a better last six.

Dungannon Golf Club was proud to host the Tyrone and Fermanagh Senior Alliance’s June competition.

Huge congratulations to our own team, who maintained their lead on the leaderboard with excellent individual performances. Carol McCammon scored 41 points and Christina McCrea added 39 points, contributing to a strong team total of 112 points.

Special thanks go to team co-captains Carol McCammon and Una McAlinden for their leadership. The results were expertly collated by Dympna Fitzpatrick and Sarah Rafferty. Our Lady Captain, Vicki McCausland, also extended her thanks to Lorna Stewart for her support in hosting the event.

We also appreciate the efforts of Alexis Davidson and Dympna Fitzpatrick for setting up the competitions and recording the results.

Well done to everyone involved in making the day a success!