Tudenham Cup success for Mount Temple
September 2nd, 2023 is a day that will live on in the annals of Mount Temple Golf Club. For the first time in 22 years, the men's club has won an inter club trophy, taking home the prestigious Tudenham Cup.
The day proved to be a fabulous one, with clear skies and blistering heat, all of which added to the intense occasion. Mount Temple's opposition was Headfort Golf Club, who are no strangers to finals and success.
Out first were Eddie Egan and Jason Bastic, second were Eddie O'Neill and John O'Connor, third were Pat McCormack and Lee McNamara, followed by Thomas Fox and Andreas Dolan, with Gareth Cassidy and Jack O'Kelly Lynch bringing up the rear.
Eddie and Jason had a solid front nine, turning on to the back nine 1 up. They would continue this good form, and found themselves 3 up after 12 and eventually 2 up after 16, meaning they could only go to a play-off. However, this was not needed as they wrapped up their win on the 17th. Meanwhile, Pat and Lee would bring their game all the way to final putt on 18, falling just short of a win after a battling performance. Thomas and Andreas fought back from behind to bring their game to the 16th, however they would be bested here.
Therefore, the final hinged on the two remaining matches. Eddie and John were engaged in a back and forth match, with top quality golf on show. They would reach the 18th green all square, and after a good putt from John the match would go to a playoff. The playoff hole would be decided in the most dramatic of fashions. Eddie sank a brilliant downhill putt for birdie that sealed the win and brought Mount Temple one step closer to glory.
It finally fell to Gareth Cassidy and Jack O'Kelly Lynch, who at this point were on the 16th and were 2 up. As the crowd gathered around the 16th green, reality set in as Gareth stepped up over a short uphill putt to win the match, and with it the Tudenham Cup. Without any hesitation or nerves, Gareth sank his putt and the celebrations began in earnest, with ice boxes and water bottles flying high into the sky! With that, Mount Temple Golf Club became the 2023 Tudenham Cup winners.
The club thanks all the supporters from both the men’s club and the ladies club who made the effort to come out and support the lads on the day. Such support was like an extra club in the bag for the lads. Thanks also to Headfort for their sportsmanship and friendliness on the day, and best wishes to them going forward. Thanks to Mullingar Golf Club for hosting the tournament and for the fine food afterwards.
Finally, well done to the team for their commitment and dedication since the start of the year, and thanks to all those who were involved in the panel and played in previous rounds. Congratulations must go to manager extraordinaire Damien Milton, who put everything into this team over the past few months.
A final congratulations to Michael Dolan and the Dolan family, owners of Mount Temple Golf Course. This day has been a long time coming for the club and much of it is down to Michael and his team. This day will be spoken about for many years to come; however, hopefully it won't be another 22 years before the club's next victory!