Great week for Offaly golfer

Offaly golfer Ella Cantwell has returned to the top of the Bridgestone Women’s Order of Merit rankings after her semi-final run at the AIG Irish Women’s Amateur Close Championship earned the Esker Hills golfer another valuable points haul.

Rahan woman Cantwell has been in fine form this season, recording a top 15 finish at the Flogas Irish Women’s Amateur Open Championship and a top 10 finish at the South of Ireland Women’s Amateur Open before claiming the inaugural West of Ireland Women’s Amateur Open title in June.

Those results lifted Cantwell to fourth on the Order of Merit leaderboard before her run to the semi-finals at Enniscrone saw her pick up a further 180 points to retake the number one spot.

It has been a great week for Cantwell who played a huge part as Ireland took took home the spoils in the R and A Girls Home Internationals at Monifieth Golf Links in Scotland . The girls were undefeated with two wins and a half from their games with England, Scotland and Wales, bettering England's one win and two halves. The team was: Ella Cantwell (Esker Hills), Hannah Lee McNamara (Royal Portrush), Zoe McLean-Tattan (Romford), Kayleigh Mulholland (Moyola Park), Claudia O’Donoghue (Douglas), Jessica Reynolds (Co.Sligo), Emma Vinarcik (Tralee), Team Captain Brenda Craig (Roganstown) and Team Coach Chris Jelly – Hannah Lee McNamara is a daughter of Banagher native Ronan McNamara.

Cantwell is going on a golf scholarshoip to Texas in the USA once she completes her Leaving Certificate in Killina Presentation Secondary School and she won two of her three singles games while her and Kayleigh Mulholland were undefeated in foursomes with 2.5 out of 3 points. “It has been an honour and a privilege to play the last few years of girls' golf in Ireland and I am so thankful for every opportunity of putting on the green colours. Winning the girls homes really tops it off,” she declared

There is little separating the top four in the Women’s Order of Merit, with just 75 points between first and fourth. Shannon Burke (Ballinrobe) is Cantwell’s closest challenger, trailing by just seven points, while Olivia Costello (Roscommon) and Aideen Walsh (Lahinch) hold third and fourth place respectively.

Katie Poots made the biggest move in the rankings following her victory at the AIG Irish Women’s Amateur Close. The Knock golfer netted 325 points for her win at Enniscrone, climbing 17 places from 28th to 11th.

There is one final opportunity for players to add to their tally, with the Dun Laoghaire Scratch Cup on 5-6 September set to decide the final Women’s Order of Merit standings.

On the Bridgestone Men’s Order of Merit, County Louth’s Gerard Dunne continues to lead the standings ahead of their final ranking event of the year, the AIG Irish Men’s Amateur Close Championship.

Dunne holds a 127-point lead over Flogas Irish Men’s Amateur Open champion Patrick Keeling (Roganstown), while Tullamore man Stuart Grehan (Co. Louth), David Howard (Fota Island) and Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) complete the top five.

With 300 points on offer to the winner, the race for top spot remains wide open heading into next week’s AIG Irish Men’s Amateur Close at Portumna. The final men’s ranking event tees up from 13-15 August.