Skerries pair chasing more glory 14 years after Foursomes win
Skerries players Mary Kenny and Mary Leonard
| Daily Mail
07 Apr 2009
FOURTEEN years on and two Irish golfers are chasing a most unlikely sporting double.
In 1995 Mary Kenny and Mary Leonard triumphantly took the Daily Mail Foursomes trophy back to north Dublin club Skerries. Now they have teamed up again to try to win the successor competition, the Irish Mail All-Ireland Fourball Trophy.
After a first round victory over Balbriggan, Mary Kenny said: ‘It was exciting enough all those years ago winning the Foursomes, but it would be fantastic if we could win the inaugural Irish Mail Trophy.’
If golfing pedigree has anything to do with it, they have a head start. Kenny is from a celebrated Irish golfing family. Her father Jimmy Kinsella played on the European Tour and won the 1972 Madrid Open and was third in the Irish Open in 1977 behind Americans Hubert Green and Ben Crenshaw.
He was club pro at Skerries until two years ago when he was succeeded by his son Bobby Kinsella, Mary’s brother. Her uncle David Kinsella is the professional at Castle Golf Club and her uncle Billy retired two years ago from Woodbrook.
Her partner Mary Leonard is an all-round sportswoman, who also plays hockey for Skerries. Kenny said: ‘I first got to know Mary when I was 12 and she was looking after the juveniles at the club. She took a great interest in all the girls. I never imagined at the time we would be teaming up to play in high profile competition like this.’
Around Ireland there has been an enthusiastic welcome to the Irish Mail Trophy, which builds on the history of two successful tournaments, the Daily Mail Foursomes and The Mail on Sunday Classic. The final is to be played at the spectacular Macreddin course, designed by Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley, in September. |
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