RAFFERTY CREATES GRAND SLAM HISTORY WITH NORTH WIN
Dundalk’s Caolan Rafferty celebrates with his daughter Maisie after winning the North of Ireland (Photo: Inpho/Laszlo Geczo)
GOLF IRELAND
Dundalk golfer Caolan Rafferty wrote his own piece of golfing history after winning the North of Ireland Championship at Portstewart to become the first golfer to complete the Irish provincial Grand Slam.
The 32-year-old won the South of Ireland in 2018, the West of Ireland in 2019 before adding the East of Ireland in 2024. The stage was then set as he arrived in Portstewart where the Irish international closed with a one-under 70 to complete the set with the North win to become the first person in history to win all four provincial championships.
Rafferty, who will represent Ireland at the World Amateur Team Championships in Singapore next month, recorded the wire-to-wire win by finishing one ahead of Ben Willis (Hunstanton) and Andrew Mulholland (Castlerock). Rafferty’s rounds of 68, 72, 71, 70 completed the 281, three-under total. Wills and Mulholland both asked the question as they signed for final round 68s, as did Seapoint’s Dylan Keating in fourth.
Rafferty finished ninth at the East and runner-up in the South this summer and with the weight of history on his shoulder at Portstewart, he kept his composure in the closing stages, bouncing back from a bogey on 15 to birdie the difficult 17. Rafferty sealed a memorable and historic win before celebrating with his family and his daughter Maisie.
“I can’t believe that’s the first time it’s been done,” said Rafferty. “It’s a nice feeling, got to look over and see her (Maisie) in the corner, little hoodie, look like a teddy bear. I was laughing.
“She’s not going to have any idea what’s going on but there will be plenty of pictures to show her the first trophy that daddy won.
“It just takes my mind away from what you’ve done, there’s a lot more to life now than golf as well. It’s always nice to have that moment afterwards to just walk away and get a little cuddle.”
HISTORY MAKER
Caolan Rafferty becomes the first player to win the Irish provincial Grand Slam after winning completing the set with the North of Ireland win at Portstewart (Photo: Golf Ireland)
Rafferty stalled at 11, where his par putt slipped just by but he hit back with a birdie on 13 and while Willis and Muholland finished their weeks on two-under, it left three tied at the top.
Rafferty had to dig deep and he did that on 17, with a brilliant birdie meaning he had two putts to secure his piece of history on the 18th green.
“We had a great birdie on 13 and then it was just a sloppy iron shot into 15 that put me under pressure, actually hit a good putt, thought I held it,” said Rafferty.
“But to finish the way I did and probably the hardest hole that we played out there this week. Birdie it to get myself back in the lead and then it’s just a case of let’s make four down the last.
“Easy on a normal day but a little bit more stressful when you know what it’s for.”
View final scores HERE