Carlow golfer Peter Murphy bridges a 45 year gap

Carlow golfer, Peter Murphy, bridged a 45 year gap when he won the Carlow Junior Cup recently. Shooting a 73 gross, the three over par total was enough to see off the challenge of Conor O’Byrne and Ian McCormack who both shot 75s.

Peter last won the Junior Scratch Cup back in 1980 when the competition was played over two rounds. This year, playing off a handicap of 3.8, he won the event on his 69th birthday. Recently retired from the Carlow Nationalist, the experienced golfer was delighted with his success.

“It meant an awful lot because in 2017 I won two monthly medals in a row. September and October. In November I won the Gold Medal. Since then I had kind of drifted a bit. I find, now that I have retired, I have time,” he admits.

“There is a bit of an age gap and the fact it fell on my birthday is a bit of a coincidence. I have been playing well for a while. I didn’t get a chance to practice. The short game was holding me back. I concentrated on that for the last month.” In tricky conditions, Peter finished strongly this year. He registered a two-over par total of 37 for the front nine and came home in 36. He needed to draw on all his experience over the last three holes. That was key to his win.

“I holed a long putt for par on 16. I had a 20 yard bunker shot on 17 and knocked it into a foot. That kept it going. I was pin-high just off the green on 18. A long putt again-50 feet. I left it dead. I thought I might need it (the birdie) to win but, as it turned out, I won by two.” While golf is his passion, the sport doesn’t dominate Peter’s life.

“I am not out in the golf club every day but I might go out early in the morning. Maybe hit 80 balls on the practice. It is low key. I am not grinding. I always enjoy hitting golf balls on the practice. You can figure off stuff. You start off and you might not be hitting it well. You make mini adjustments. Then you can get into a bit of a groove. That is what I do. That is the story.” 

For all his golfing life, Peter has tried to play to his very best. Getting his handicap down as low as he could was always part of his strategy. With a wonderfully talented team he played with the best golfers in the Carlow club. They, in turn, took on some of Ireland’s best amateur golfers.

The team of Jim McVeigh, Tommy Lennon, John Swan, Jason Farrell and Murphy beat a star-studded County Louth side in the final of the Leinster Senior Cup in 1984.

“They were very strong. They had internationals on the bench,” recalled Murphy.

That squad back-boned County Carlow’s run to the All-Ireland Inter-County final in 1986. The nucleus of the side were back in a Leinster Senior Cup Final in 1994 where they once again took the Leinster Pennant. These were the glory years for Murphy and the men’s teams in Carlow Golf Club. His recent win shows he is still not yet willing to hand over to the young guns just yet.

“I am still keen to improve. It goes against the grain not to. You lose a bit of distance. Not much. I am still competitive. The young lads today are hitting it miles,” he agrees.

“I am still doing everything I can. That is why I play the game so that I can be as good as I can.”