Some of the most useful stories in women’s sport happen far from the places sport usually points its cameras.
At Cunnigar Pitch & Putt Club in Dungarvan, the 2026 National Ladies Strokeplay Championships produced three new national champions: Glenda Hoey of Lucan, Ciara Lowe of Deerpark and Michelle O’Connell of Cunnigar.
The Senior Championship was the tightest of the three. Hoey finished the 54-hole event on five under par, winning by a single shot from Amy Galvin of Tullamore and Christine Sheedy of Ryston. Eleanor Walsh of Fermoy and Hoey’s Lucan clubmate Tracey Smith finished one shot further back. Two shots separated the top five.
For Hoey, the win completed a Dublin, Leinster and National Senior Strokeplay treble in 2026. It also ended a 44-year wait for Lucan, making her the club’s first National Ladies Strokeplay champion since Marie Ruddy in 1982.
In the Intermediate grade, Lowe recovered from a difficult 18th hole in her opening round to win by five shots, finishing on +4. Ashlene McKevitt of Cloghogue was runner-up on +9, with Nicola Ahern of Collins third on +13.
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The Junior Championship gave the host club its own day. O’Connell won the title on her home course, finishing on +26, with fellow Cunnigar player Marie Forde completing a one-two for the Waterford club.
The weekend also offered a useful reminder that sport does not always grow through childhood pathways. Among the competitors was a group of women from Cloghogue in Newry who came to Pitch and Putt after playing other sports, particularly camogie. McKevitt’s Intermediate runner-up finish and Darlene Parr’s joint-third finish in the Junior grade showed how quickly new routes into a sport can become competitive.
Pitch & Putt Ireland wants to give the women’s game greater profile. This was a good weekend to make the case.
