February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By John Manley
Kent State’s Martina Gillen tied for 30th place in the NCAA Div. I Women’s Golf Championship at the Mission Inn’s El Campeon Golf Course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. Gillen, a freshman from Dublin, shot 300 (75-73-74-78) for the tournament, and finished 15 shots behind Duke’s Candy Hannemann and Arizona’s Lorena Ochoa, who were low scorers at 285 (Hannemann won the playoff). After the tournament, the Maryfield College alumnus was named a National Golf Coaches Association All-America Honorable Mention and the Central Region Freshman of the Year.
Kent State placed 15th in the 24-team field, which was paced by Georgia.
Senior PGA
Denis O’Sullivan was the lone Irish representative at the U.S. Senior PGA Championship. He aced the par-3 15th hole with an eight-iron during Thursday’s opening round, but was otherwise stymied by the Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. O’Sullivan missed the 36-hole cut by five strokes. He shot 155 (77-78) over the two days.
European Tour
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Darren Clarke was Ireland’s highest finisher at the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth’s West Course in England. He tied for eighth place at nine-under-par 279 (72-69-68-70), seven shots behind winner Andrew Oldcorn.
Others to finish 72 holes included Paul McGinley, who tied for 26th place at 284 (66-74-73-71). Among the nine golfers knotted at 45th place with scores of 287 were Eamonn Darcy (72-71-71-73), Des Smyth (70-68-75-74), and Padraig Harrington (67-75-69-76). David Higgins was a stroke behind in 55th place at even-par 288 (72-71-74-71), while Damian McGrane was another shot back in 58th position at 289 (68-72-70-79). Ronan Rafferty, at 145 (72-73), missed the cut by two shots.