The 2017 Lee Valley Senior Scratch Cup was a tremendous success. Gary O’Flaherty, winner of the Lee Valley Scratch Cup in 2012, took the lead with four under. Captain Pat Power tells us this is Gary’s 17th scratch cup win, and second at Lee Valley.. “He never seems to leave a scratch cup without a prize of some sort. He’s a good friend of mine and will no doubt win many more in the future.”
We pulled Gary aside to ask him for his take on the game, “The game was challenging. I was lucky that I was in a group with two guys that I know well, we were helping each other along. The key today was don’t make any mistakes, stay in the hunt and see what happens next. 13 was a turning point for me. I chipped in for birdie on the 13th and it got me back on track again. I played pretty solid, I didn’t make any big mistakes. Making birdie on the 15th was a big moment and gave me that gap of two shots that got me ahead.”
Prior to the 15th hole, the game was neck in neck and suspense was building. From the 15th hole, Gary held a two point lead until his win.
The day was perfect – cold but dry with a great vibe and atmosphere. A fantastic field of players, and everybody in good form. Many golfers commented on the fantastic condition of the course, to which we credit our head greenskeeper James, as well as the hard-working Jerry Keohane, and in fact, the entire Keohane family.
2017 Captain Pat Power says “I’m very happy with a very successful and well-run event. A big thank you to our sponsors Dell EMC, Vincent Drinan, our tournament director and to James Mulcahy for the great condition of the golf course. All the players were very happy and very pleased with the condition of the course and many have said they are looking forward to coming again next year.”
One of the star players of the day was Jack Pierce, who played last week in West Ireland. “The event was brilliant! Lee Valley is always brilliant – it’s great to have all the best players come down to the scratch cup. It’s always run really well and the course is always in great condition.” We asked him about his match last weekend, “I played in the West of Ireland last week. I lost in the final to Barry Anderson but it was a nice week full of golf and a lot of fun”
Vincent Drinan, who coordinated the event says “I’m happy it was a very successful event, with a popular winner. We’re looking forward to next year already.”
The Scratch Cup was a fantastic way to launch the summer golf – the competition is over, but the excitement is just starting. Monday Open Singles will start tomorrow and we have some exciting surprises in store for this summer. 
