Thornton kicks into top gear at Grange Castle
25/06/2018
Simon Thornton (Tulfarris Golf Resort) carded a record breaking seven under par 65 to win the Special Olympics Pro-Am at Grange Castle.
The tournament marked 20 years since the South Dublin venue opened it's doors to the public.
It was a great party atmosphere all day with a tuition masterclass from Thornton and John Kelly earlier in the day for the Special Olympics athletes, followed by a seven hole competition.
Until this result, Simon's season had been marked out by consistency without a victory.
This time around, the 41-year-old made no mistake, opening with a hat-trick of birdies as he reached the turn in three under 33.
He was even better on the back nine, adding four further birdies and no dropped shots as he came home in four under 32.
Ciaran Molloy (Ardee) finished second on five under par with Stephen Barry (Navan) a shot further back on three under. Molloy did walk away with the team prize, guiding his amateur partners to victory with 94 points.
The Special Olympics Eastern Region Golf League is based at Grange Castle, with the seven hole course providing a perfect venue for monthly events.
Grange Castle GC is owned by South Dublin County Council and managed on their behalf by Synergy Golf. The company has a well established partnership with the Special Olympics. The Special Olympics Ireland Games golf events were recently hosted by another Synergy Golf venue, St Margarets Golf & County Club.
Inaugural Special Olympics Pro-Am at Grange Castle at Grange Castle Golf Club (Par 72)
Leading Scores
1 Simon Thornton (Tulfarris Golf Resort) -7 65
2 Ciaran Molloy (Ardee) -5 67
3 Stephen Barry (Royal Tara) -4 68
4 Shane Jenkinson (St Margarets) -3 69
T5 Michael McGeady (Evolve Golf Coaching) -2 70
T5 Stephen McCarthy (Black Bush GC) -2 70
