Lyons proves the hero as Connacht's top golfers bridge long 28-year gap

By Declan Tierney

Connacht’s golfers bridged a 28 year gap by winning the Interprovincial Championships last week – with a member of Galway Golf Club sinking the winning putt to clinch a remarkable achievement.

Joe Lyons, a former winner of the West of Ireland Amateur Championship, won a crucial singles match which secured Connacht’s memorable victory.

The eight-man team representing Connacht, which included Lyons, his Galway clubmate Eddie McCormack and Sean Cannon from Loughrea, played each of the other provinces over the three day event.

They played four foursomes matches in the morning and this was followed by seven singles matches in the afternoon, but it was far from plain sailing as far as Connacht were concerned on the final day.On the first day they came up against Ulster and McCormack played with Sligo’s Barry Anderson in the foursomes and won by 2&1 while Lyons had a one hole victory while playing with Michael Durcan, also of Sligo. In the singles McCormack won his match while Lyons was all square after 18 holes to take a half.

Both Connacht and Ulster ended up with five and a half matches apiece, which gave both provinces a half, while Munster took Leinster’s scalp to take an early lead.

Connacht then secured victory over Munster the following day. McCormack had a convincing 5&4 victory in his singles match while Joe Lyons secured a vital win on the 18th hole.

In fact, it was the first time in more than a decade that Connacht led going into the final day of the interpros and after the foursomes matches against Leinster, many would be forgiven for thinking that victory looked an impossibility.

They lost all four of the morning’s foursomes matches and looked like needing a miracle in the singles matches in the afternoon, but it became apparent at an early stage that this might be achievable.McCormack was first out and he won the first eight holes against the highly rated Eoin Arthurs from Forest Little.

The Leinster player had to sink a 12 foot putt on the ninth to prevent him losing every hole on the outward side. McCormack eventually closed the match out on the 12th hole.

Barry Anderson secured a half for Connacht while Sligo’s Gary McDermott lost his match. But the remaining four matches out on the course were all going Connacht’s way with the Sligo duo of Michael Durcan and Steffan O’Hara winning their respective matches while Athlone’s Keelan McDonagh had an albatross at the par 5 3rd on the way to a 2&1 victory.

Lyons was the last match out and while he went two down early on, he won the 6th, 7th and 8th holes and was one up after nine.

He never relinquished the advantage and actually went two up before a par on 17th hole was enough to secure victory for him and his province.