OLDEST IRISH AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IN USA, ESTABLISHED IN 1928
Category: Archive

U.S. take early lead in Emerald Challenge

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By Kevin Newell

KILLARNEY, Co. Kerry — There are several things indigenous to the southwest ofIreland. In no particular order they are inclement weather, great golf and the bond of friendship.

Such was the setting April 22-24 for the inaugural Emerald Challenge, the first in a series of friendly club vs. club matches between amateurs fromIreland and the United States — a poor man’s version of the Ryder Cup and Walker Cup, if you will. With all the trappings and spirited play befittin ginternational competition, Rockville Links Country Club, Rockville Centre, N.Y., and host Killarney Golf & Fishing Club battled to a 12-12 draw, with the visiting Yanks getting the nod due to an agreement between the teams before the matches.

This year’s Emerald Challenge is limited to the first 20 clubs from each country. Other committed Irish clubs include K Club, Kildare (site of the 2005 Ryder Cup); Belmullet Golf Club, Mayo; Cairndhu GC, Antrim; Ceann Sibeal GC, Kerry; Limerick Golf & Country Club, Limerick; Malone GC, Antrim; Mount Juliet GC, Kilkenny; St. Helen’s Bay GC, Wexford; St. Margaret’s G & CC, Dublin, and Tramore GC, Waterford.

Hempstead (N.Y.) G & CC; Nassau CC, Glen Cove; and Rock Spring Club, West Orange, N.J., are the additional early entrants seeking to hold up the American end. Malone GC of Northern Ireland will host the next matches in May. Future tournament pairings and dates will be determined.

If the first match was any indication, The Emerald Challenge has set the tone for future visiting U.S. clubs.

Follow us on social media

Keep up to date with the latest news with The Irish Echo

"What they can expect, number one, is great golf," said Rockville Links captain Bill Girasole. "But moreso, take the time to enjoy the culture, the friendships and the good times away from the golf course. I woke everyone morning looking forward to playing against my friends. No matter who I had to play against they were my friends."

"We’re a very proud nation and we wanted to win. And we wanted to stuff the Yanks if we could," said Thomas Finnegan, Jr., captain of the Killarney G & F Club. "But when you look at the score, 12-12, we’re very happy. I think the concept of representing your country is important, but you can’t overlook the friendship aspect of it."

Due to a combination of exceptional play from the Killarney team, jet lag and true links conditions, Rockville fell 4-0 in Thursday’s foursomes at Waterville House & Golf Links, Waterville. The venue was moved from Killarney because of course conditions before returning to the host club’s Mahony’s Point Course for the final two rounds.

"We didn’t want to get blown out of this thing," said Ken McGuire of Rockville Links. "We wanted to hang in there. We didn’t want to go into the last round down 7-1 or 6-2. We figured if it was 5-3 we had a good shot."

McGuire proved to be Nostradamus. The U.S. squad found its sea legs in Friday’s fourball competition, pulling out a 3-1 victory to trim the deficit to 5-3 entering Saturday’s all-important singles matches. However, Rockville still had its work cut out.

"There was a lot of points to be had in the singles matches — that was the key," McGuire said. "We have a lot of club champions on our team who have played in individual matches before and know what it takes to win. I knew this group could pull it out.

"The only way we could win was to win four matches and tie one. And as it turned out, that’s what happened."

And as it turned out, Rockville’s Tony Perretta’s ability to forge a halve in his match with Killarney’s Gerry Adams, despite being 2 down with two to play, was a crucial factor.

Admitting he was "intimidated" before his match with Adams, a 6 handicap, Perretta, who plays to an 18, found himself 3 down at the turn. If the match were played on paper it might have been a different outcome, but it was played on the auld sod, albeit soggy, and Perretta’s guile and patience prevailed.

"I thought I was out of the match," Perretta said. "I felt I had no chance. But Ken [McGuire] helped keep me out. He reminded me that the same thing happened Friday when I played stronger on the back nine."

Having combined for a 1 up victory against Paul Downey and Mossie Breen in Friday’s fourball match, Perretta and McGuire once again found themselves playing in the first singles group of the day. But while McGuire was en route of dispatching of Dermot Doyle, 2 and 1, and teammates Girasole, Bert Accomando and John Curtin won their matches, Perretta was in need of a miracle.

As luck would have it, Adams hit two consecutive errant shots, including a tee ball in the water on the par 4 17th and found himself lying 3 before reaching the green in five. Perretta, who was getting a stroke on the hole, couldn’t capitalize as he flubbed an 8-iron and eventually reached in four. He then rolled a 20-foot putt to within two inches of the cup before Adams conceded the hole.

Down 1 entering the par 3 18th, Perretta hit a 5-iron short of the green and then chipped a sand wedge to 25 feet from the stick. Adams’s tee ball landed to the right of the hole, 30 feet from the flag. Perretta’s par putt rimmed out to about two feet and was the beneficiary of Adams’s generosity as he was given the bogey 4. Faced with a treacherous downhill putt, Adams saw his ball roll six feet past the hole, then lipped out on his par attempt before losing the hole and squaring the match.

"Mostly he faltered," Perretta said of the reasons behind his comeback "He’s a very good player. I didn’t expect that."

Surely, Nick Faldo would never concede a two-foot putt to Fred Couples in a Ryder Cup match. But that’s what distinguishes the Emerald Challenge.

"We were so impressed with what great guys they were," said John Sweeney of Rockville Links.

(Kevin Newell is a senior editor for Golf Retailer magazine in New York City.)

Other Articles You Might Like

Sign up to our Daily Newsletter

Click to access the login or register cheese