Walsh and Behan crowned Coronation champions
By Stephen Leonard
LORRAINE Walsh from Belgard combined with Siobhan Behan to win the Coronation Foursomes Cup in St Andrew’s.
Their 41-point tally was enough to see them top the handicap stableford foursomes division by a solitary point ahead of closest rival’s Susan Thom and Joyce Woollon of Hayston Golf Club.
Established in 1953 to coincide with the coron-ation of Queen Elizabeth, the Coronation Foursomes is the leading event for women’s club golfers in Great Britain and Ireland.
It is open to all members of affiliated golf clubs who hold a CONGU handicap.
More than 25,000 competitors representing 2,000 clubs in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales entered the competi-tion and participated in local and regional qualify-ing events culminating in 16 teams reaching the Grand Final.
For Walsh, this was a stunning achievement given that she had joined the CGI ‘Get Into Golf’ Programme in Killeen only back in 2015.
Yet in the two years that she has been playing she has seen her handicap drop from 36 to 23.
Certainly 2017 has been a great year for her, winning the President’s prize, a monthly medal and, just recently, the coveted Lady Captain’s Prize.
She comes from a family of golfers. Her brother Shane plays off a handicap of 2 while her father Tony and her Uncle Jimmy are also single figure golfers.
Victory in the area finals of the Coronation Cup in Killeen back in July resulted in her and Behan representing their club in The Grand Final in St Andrews.
Behan, with a handicap of 8, held the position of Junior captain in Killeen and is a great mentor to some of the younger golfers and to the CGI ‘Get Into Golf’ group.
As winners of the Coronation Foursomes, Walsh and Behan receive a place in next year’s Ricoh Women’s British Open pro-am at Royal Lytham and St Anne’s Golf Club.
