LImerick Lads scale European summit with John Cahill a close second
After a serene 46 holes bogey free run, crisis loomed. Liam O’Donovan was seventeen under par as he left Orvelte’s 10th green on European Strokeplay Sunday, tied with his Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland rival, John Cahill. Cahill had aced the 8th hole to draw level.
“There was a good wait at 11, which was a short hole, playing about 25 metres. I lost concentration and dumped it in the water but hit the next ball to 2 feet for 4”, recalls the Bruff, Co. Limerick, Ireland player. John Cahill was now in the lead. Cahill birdied the 12th and led by two.
Further problems arose for Liam O’Donovan on the 57 metre 13th.”This for me was the hardest hole on the course,” reflects Liam. “The wind varied on it and it has water front and back. l had hit it 52 (metres) on Saturday evening and was at the back so on Sunday I hit it 51 (metres) but it did not carry. It ended up in the water with a tuft of grass behind it. The next shot was hit with a bit of anger and I was lucky to make 5!” laughs O’Donovan, who has four European championship wins with Ireland.
“Once I got the 5, I thought my chance was gone. I just wanted to try to finish as well as possible,” muses Liam who at this stage was four shots behind his rival. Then came that extraordinary five successive birdie streak that saw O’Donovan win by a single shot from Cahill, who parred the last six holes.
“What a putting performance!” is the succinct summary of long-time colleague (and European Seniors Strokeplay champion) Pacelli Darcy. John Cahill agrees. “Fair play to Liam. To birdie the last 5 was fantastic. He got some great putts under pressure.”
These days, O’Donovan takes these victories in his stride. “Celebration was just a couple of beers and food. (I must be getting old!)”
Liam O’Donovan leads the plaudits for Rinus Huberts, Joep Van Mourik and their enthusiastic team of volunteers. “The organisation of the tournament was very good and the course in fantastic shape. Timing was spot on and your name was called out with the name of your organisation.”
John Cahill will mostly take the positives from his first European Strokeplay. “To be honest I didn't know what to expect really. The course was outstanding. The greens were excellent and very quick.”
“When Liam took a 5 on 13 to go back to -14 and I was on -18 and with -16 in the clubhouse, I thought it was mine. It was disappointing for me to be so close and just come up short but a lot of other players will feel they could have won,” is the 2001 Irish Strokeplay champions sanguine assessment.
John Cahill is a keen student of the sport as well as being an elite player. “We all thought when John Walsh was -11 for 15, we were all in trouble but putts started to miss for him and things change very fast. I was very happy with how I played over the weekend. I have been struggling with my putting over the last few months and again it cost in the final round.”
Cahill repeats the recurring theme of organisational superiority. “It was a brilliant championship and run excellently. What I couldn’t believe was how well the tee times were kept with over 100 players.”
The Orvelte experience has certainly whetted John Cahill’s appetite “I look forward to playing in more international events, Playing in the first European strokeplay was agreat experience and the venue and staff at the clubhouse were so friendly and helpful.”
“It’s a great sense of relief to have won the European Seniors,” recalls Pacelli Darcy of his latest in a long line of successes.
Pacelli was hopeful yet realistic in the build up to the championship. “I hadn't played on the course before plus the fact that I didn't know many of the local players, I felt this time that I was going to have to play well to be in the hunt on Sunday.”
There is more praise for Orvelte. “The course is a fantastic venue. The greens are a lot more contoured than what we play on in Ireland so the putts were a lot more difficult to read.”
Pre event logistical preparation was faultless. “Our accommodation was beside the course and this worked out very well as we could return for a shower and refreshments after each 18.”
Pacellis recollects that pitching wasn’t easy. “There were holes that were very demanding. Out of bounds and water straddled a lot of holes and especially on Sunday when it became very windy.”
Overnight Pacelli Darcy was on the fringes of overall contention. “I finished 7 under for Saturday’s 36 and I was disappointed as I felt that I had missed too many putts.”
Pacelli’s final round wasn’t ideal but he still came out on top. “Sunday’s round for me was like playing in a nightmare. My judgement of the wind went out the window, possibly one of my poorest rounds of Pitch and Putt ever. Only for the conditions being so tough Jim Ahern and Frank Kristiansen would have got a lot closer to my winning score.”
Characteristically, Pacelli extols the achievements of others and anticipates the next event. “I would also like to pay tribute to my team mate Liam O'Donovan - he puts so much into the game that he deserves everything he gets back. I look forward to playing with him again at the Catalan pairs tournament in November.”