McCann Fitzgerald outperform the competition to claim Cathal Lavelle Trophy

Team McCann Fitzgerald holding the Cathal Lavelle Trophy L-R Mark White, Ian Ferguson, Andrew McGovern and Morgan Dunne

A great day from dawn until dusk, as over 200 golfers from the entire spectrum of the Irish funds and ecosystem, came out to support basis.point, a charity dear to their hearts!

A Mexican Scramble was the order of the day, a fun format, selected to encourage speedy play, inclusivity and reward balanced teams. And with the benign weather and the course in superb condition, you needed to be shooting well below par to be in with a shot at a prize.

The blow to the head, of Andrew McGovern, on the first hole, from a wayward golfer, did little to put team McCann Fitzgerald off their stride. An eagle on the eighth hole arising from Mark White’s drive converted by Andrew by chipping in from 100 meters, raised their confidence. They eased their way into a cool 6 under par for the front 9 and a strong finish on 17 and 18, birdie, birdie, sealed the deal!

Meadhbh Doyle, Aedin Murphy and Brian O’Sullivan assessing the shot.

Diversity hit new highs, as almost 30% of teams had mixed representation with almost 20 female participants. First up flying the diversity flag was the team from Grant Thornton who fielded two superb lady golfers in Meadhbh Doyle and Aedin Murphy playing off 1 and 3 respectively.

And there was fun to be had by the time they arrived at the 5th hole with the option of paying the young guns to take their drives.

“What would we win if we outdrove you?” they challenged. Your clubs would be carried for the rest of the round the two lads offered chivalrously. Need we say more. The girls sent two rockets straight down the fairway making a statement there and then!

Thank you to our wonderful team of volunteers. The O’Malley and Shaw kids helped set up the show, packed bags, attached clips on caps, showed people around, handed out goody bags and encouraged the teams to avail of the Pay the Driver option. Shane O’Sullivan, recovering from injury, did trojan work gathering and collating the score cards.

We had a team of volunteers from our supporters committee in Ciaran Whooley, Natasha Haugh and Jeremy Humphries who shared their experiences of volunteering with basis.point and encouraged new supporters. And most of all the lads on the 5th tee, Brian MacMahon and David Jeffers, who lightened your load. The five eagles that they initiated with their superb drives speaks volumes.

Best dressed on the course. AQMetrics line up the putts.

And whilst there was no official Best Dressed Team award, perhaps there should be. This year it unofficially goes to Team AQMetrics! Coordinating wardrobes should be worth something and these guys have set the bar high!

Thank you to everyone for entering into the spirit of a great industry day out. Thank you sincerely to our event sponsors AMX for the prizes, Goodbody for the Goody Bags, The Panel for our pre -golf refreshments and Confluence for the wonderful meal on the balcony. It’s not in vain. As a result of all of your generosity, we raised in excess of €65,000 and can continue to help those young people most in need of educational support.

As dusk fell, the last teams straggled in and we were able to announce the winners. McCann Fitzgerald led by Mark White, held the trophy high. Runners up by a narrow margin and eager to take the title next year, were Walkers led by Nick Blake Knox. It may not have been their year but, they enjoyed the battle.

We saw it all, did it all, conquered it all! What a day. Bravo!!

Winners of the Cathal Lavelle Trophy
1st Place McCann Fitzgerald Net 54.5 Gross 61
Mark White, Ian Ferguson, Morgan Dunne, Andrew McGovern
2nd Place Walkers 55.6 Gross 61
Nick Blake Knox, Dan Herlihy, Michael Ormond, Philip Dempsey
3rd Place Citi Net 55.6 Gross 62
Cilian O’Gogain, Gary Pike, Dean Philips, Shane Coman
4th Place Waystone Net 56.6 Gross 62
Conor McGuiness, Paddy Governey, Eoin Carroll, Mathew Williamson

Best Mixed Team
1st Place Dechert Net 57 Gross 64
Mark Dillon, Steve Kelly, Claire Cawley, David Higgins
Best Promoter Team
Blackrock
David Boylan, Declan Curran, Conor Owens, Niall Ryan