MOURNE GOLF CLUB NEWS

June 11, 2025

By Conor Keenan

Darryl Northrop delivered a fabulous round of nett 67 to take the title in the Mourne Golf Club June Medal sponsored by John Macs on Sunday, pipping Niall Doran and Thomas Burns by one shot respectively.

On a testing day on the Championship Links at Royal County Down it was Northrup who delivered commendable consistency, playing 17 of the 18 holes without a double bogey or worse in blustery and sometimes wet conditions.

Three pars got Northrop up and running and despite a run of bogeys from the 4th to the 12th he kept his head and made a crucial birdie on the par 5 12th hole. After an excellent par on the 14th, Northrop turned back into the strong wind for the final two holes and played them in just +2, including a clutch par on the 18th, the longest hole on the golf course. His nett 67 meant a two-shot win over Michael McKenna in Division Two but also a one-shot victory in the main competition over Doran and Burns.

Doran, who is in good form after impressing in Senior Cup qualifying for Mourne at Royal Belfast, got off to a poor start by double bogeying the first hole. He would respond with a terrific birdie on the second hole, no easy feat playing off the medal tees which enhances the difficulty of the drive greatly. Barring a bogey on the 7th, it was pars for the remainder of his front nine. His final bogey of the day would come on 11 but three more birdies on 12, 16 and 18 meant he finished with a nett 68 and even par gross score of 71 which propelled him up the leaderboard to the division one win.

The back nine surge from Doran meant Burns had to settle for second in division one and third overall, but he will be content that his good run of form has continued following his win in the May Medal. Two front nine birdies on the 1st and 6th helped even out a front nine that featured four bogeys but Burns importantly finished the day with no doubles bogeys or worse on the card – commendable considering the conditions. The highlight of his back nine was a birdie on the 13th, the second-hardest hole on the scorecard. He pipped Barry Hillen to second place by a shot after his impressive net 69.

Conor Maginn took the win in division three with a nett score of 72, highlighted by two excellent birdies in his final three holes respectively, pipping Jack Bailie by two strokes.

The club thanks John Macs for their generous support for the June Medal as attention now turns to the signature event in the club calendar this Friday – Paul Mullan’s Captain’s Day.