Irish seniors great Maurice Kelly honoured by GUI
THE Golfing Union of Ireland has paid tribute to the memory of one of the greats of Irish senior men’s golf, Maurice Kelly.
Indeed the GUI have taken the decision to name the Irish Seniors Close Championship trophy after the five-time winner of the competition, who sadly passed away last December.
The late Maurice Kelly, one of Ireland’s top senior golfers, has been honoured by the GUI.
Kelly was the last winner of the championship at Enniscrone in 2018 and was one of the top competitors in his field, winning the inaugural Seniors Close in 2009 and four times thereafter.
The Naas clubman, who also played out of Killeen during his international career, made his Ireland debut that same year.
He represented his country on the international stage on no less than 99 occasions and was a winner of five European Senior Team medals and as many Home Internationals, along with one Irish Open, one Italian Open and two Spanish Open titles since turning senior back in 2005.
Paying tribute to the Saggart man who, in 2017, was inducted into The Echo Sports Hall of Fame, Mark Wehrly, Championships Manager of the GUI, said: “Maurice Kelly was such a great competitor and it is only fitting that the Union has honoured his memory by putting his name on the Irish Seniors Close trophy.
“Maurice lifted this title a staggering five times. He was universally respected by his peers and we know this trophy will now be contested even more fiercely as a result.”
The Irish Seniors Close Championship, now 10 years old, was first staged in 2009 at Roscommon and won by Kelly who retained the title the following year at Blainroe before triumphing again in 2014, at Tullamore and in 2015, at Grange.
Kilkenny Golf Club is currently hosting this year’s championship which is played over 54 holes. The championship is open to male players over 50 years of age.
