*Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas) and Aideen Walsh (Lahinch) were crowned Irish Mid-Amateur champions again at Tipperary. Photo: Fran Caffrey / Golffile.
ENNIS’ Aideen Walsh retained her title as Irish Mid-Amateur champion on Sunday.
By Daragh Small
A member of Lahinch Golf Club and Woodstock Golf Club, Aideen came out on top at Tipperary Golf Club with Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas) winning the men’s equivalent.
Between them, they have won five Mid-Am titles and it was a sixth Irish crown for O’Keeffe while for Walsh this win paves the way for another appearance at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open in Carton House this week.
O’Keeffe won the best overall gross score too while he also picked up the Irish Mid-Amateur Men’s Over-40s crown.
However, it was Walsh who landed the first silverware of the day when she got the better of Shannon Burke (Ballinrobe) after an intense battle. They played together in the final group and while Burke drew level early in the round, Walsh’s experience proved vital.
Walsh played her first Senior Cup in Tipperary in 2017, and the Bridgestone Order of Merit leader, who got the better of Emma O’Driscoll in a similar battle last year in Portsalon, backed up her earlier rounds of 72 and 71.
Walsh and Burke both birdied the 12th but when Burke bogeyed 13 it left the door open for the reigning champion to ease her way to another sweet victory on +3.
“Today was a bit of a roller-coaster but I am happy I kept it together because I bogeyed the first two holes,” said the 26-year-old. “I used this week to prepare for next week so it’s very exciting. I have a bit to work on from this week. It’s always good to have a few things to focus on. It’s great to have so many Irish playing as well, I can’t wait to see how everyone gets on.
“I’ve had a really strong season, I’m very happy with where my game is at, so it’s definitely good for the confidence. But I do understand that it’s a professional event so I’ll keep that all in perspective,” she said of her upcoming Irish Open appearance.
