A great day out for Irish fund industry golfers!
Abbey Capital team of Joseph Foy, Sean Duggan, Richard Whelehan and Greg Doherty en-route to a 5th Place finish
After a summer of torrential rain, howling winds and low temperatures, the sunshine that greeted players on the early tees was a welcome delight. And not to disappoint, the 11th Annual Corporate Challenge lived up to its billing as one of the industries networking events of the year!
There were plenty of serious golfers in the field. KPMG meant business with Harry Gillivan playing off +3.5 and Waystone’s Devin Payne playing off scratch. And we were delighted to see Anna Abom join us again this year as a guest on the Kroll team. Her swing has all the style and accuracy of a Leona McGuire and playing off a handicap of +4, she certainly is one to watch. But at the end of the day, it seemed the breakfast roll on the go, sponsored by Caceis settled the nerves of the winning team GRS, and set them up to take an early lead!
Team Kroll stage a charge!
A superb team effort led by Philip McEnroe, ensured a convincing win by GRS who brought a team of experienced golfers and carded 2 eagles and 8 birdies, for a superb gross 12 under par score of 59 to claim the Cathal Lavelle Trophy.
Runners up Carne were two shots off the lead just keeping their nose ahead of PwC who had the highest scoring mixed team with a gross score of 62.
Last years winners JP Morgan came in a respectable fourth place with Abbey Capital in fifth!
This year Nearest the Pin sponsored by LEI Worldwide was played on the 4th hole. And whilst the hole threw up 8 birdies, there were no holes in one to be had. Jack Doyle of Dillon Eustace put it closest of the men and Suzanne Hayes of PwC closest for the women. Curiously, the Dillon Eustace team failed to convert for a birdie!
It was not all serious business. Most teams opted to take a break and Pay the Driver on the 5th hole. This year the big guns were being fired by Edel O’Malley’s sons Brian and Tim. And it was clearly worth the investment. Not surprisingly the 5th produced the most eagles with 7 teams managing to convert some stellar drives. (GRS, Carne, JP Morgan, CPL, Morgan McKinley, Walkers, Bridge).
Marianne Checkley, CEO Kinia shares impact stories
For many of us, the highlight was the entertainment and socialising off the course. And whilst the goal of the event was to raise funds to cover the costs of running the charity, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to hear from Marianne Checkley, CEO Kinia of the impact that funding is having, improving the numeracy skills of young people experiencing educational disadvantage.
We were delighted to have Walkers join us this year as the new prize sponsor. It was particularly fitting to have Nicholas Blake-Knox, former colleague of Cathal Lavelle, join us on the evening to present the Cathal Lavelle Trophy to Philip McEnroe of GRS.
Winners of the Cathal Lavelle Trophy
1st GRS 54.98 (59 gross) Philip McEnroe, Brian McCarthy, Paul Phelan, Colm Mooney
2nd Carne 57.75 (63 gross) Des Fullam, John Skelly, Peter O’Leary, Brian O’Hara
3rd PwC 57.80 (62 gross) Sean Guilfoyle, Suzanne Hayes, David Pasley, Kevin Early
4th JP Morgan 58.21 (67 gross) Kevin Coughlan, Aleda Anderson, Keith Milne and Darren Boyd
5th Abbey Capital 59.15 (67 gross) Joseph Foy, Sean Duggan, Richard Whelehan, Greg Doherty
Nearest the Pin Jack Doyle Dillon Eustace and Suzanne Hayes PwC
So in short, a great day was had. Goodbody Fund Management delighted players with a generous goody bag. We all enjoyed a fine lunch sponsored by The Panel and dinner by Confluence. And the course itself was magnificent. As a result of this generosity, we raised just shy of €65,000 allowing us to continue to help those young people most in need of educational support.
And as we celebrate our winners we can all eagerly anticipate challenging for the Cathal Lavelle Trophy again next year. A new name on the trophy, a special colleague and gentleman remembered, and the eager anticipation of battle again next year.
