Congratulations to Gary Hurley second year Paddy Harrington Golf Scholar at NUI Maynooth on winning the 2012 GUI Inter varsity Championship at Tramore golf club from 8-9 October. Hurley shot a solid closing round of 71 (1 under par) to finished with an impressive three round total of 210 (-4) in very testing conditions at Tramore. Hurley’s blistering second round 65 (-4) over the Newtown course really put him in the driving seat playing the final round. The nearest challenger came in his teammate and current NUIM scholar’s team captain Conor O’Rourke who finished six back on 216 for the Championship. Alex Glesson (UCD) finished in third place on 217 while Kieran Lynch first year Paddy Harrington Golf Scholar and Ross O’Sullivan (Cork IT) made up the remainder of the top five players on four over.

In the Ladies event, Chloe Ryan (UCD) took the Championship with a superb final round of 70 (-5) to finish on 145 and won by eleven shots from college mate Emma O’Driscoll (UCD) on 157 and second year Harrington golf scholar Sinead Sexton on 158 to round up the top three.

In the team events NUIM Blue Team won the Men’s event which was made of Conor O’Rourke (Team Captain), Gary Hurley, Shaun Carter and Alan Lowry. NUIM Ladies team made up Sinead Sexton (Team Captain), Emily McGuinness and Jenny Sykes finished in second place.   

The Inter varsity event was run by the GUI for the first year ever and a new era of Irish college golf is now beginning with the GUI committing to the running of three more stroke play events and a match play event for the 2012-13 academic year.

Surprisingly, Gary’s win here is the first ever Individual Inter varsity title by an NUIM player since the launch of the Paddy Harrington Golf Scholarship in 2007.  NUIM have won the Men’s Team event at the Inter varsities over the past three years and have had three runners-up which include Conor O’Rourke (2011), Kelan McDonagh (2010) and Tommy McGowan (2009). This win signifies the quality of players now enrolling in golf programme at the University.

Gary’s win puts the icing on the cake on what has been a superb year for him individually and for the University after he played a huge part in bringing home the coveted Barton Shield last month at Kinsale golf club.  Gary’s individual  highlights for the year include: winning the Trubshaw Trophy in Wales in April, finishing runner-up in the Irish Amateur Close Championship at Royal Portrush in May, finishing joint third place in the East of Ireland Open Championship at Co. Louth in June, taking Bronze with the Irish Universities Team at the World University Golf Championship in the Czech Republic in July, finishing joint runner- up in the Boy’d Quaich International Inter varsity Tournament also in July and earning four points from six at the 2012 Men’s Homes International in Scotland in August.