Mallow amateur golfer James Sugrue named as Cork Person of the Month for October 2019
Mallow golfer James Sugrue has been named Cork Person of the Month for October. In June, the 22 year old Mallow native won gold at the 124th British Amateur Championship, earning him the title of Amateur champion. He will now go on to make an appearance at the British Open at Royal Portrush followed next year by the US Masters and US Open.
Following his recent involvement at the US Open, James has now joined the greats of golf, announcing that he will turn professional next June.
A member of Mallow Golf Club, James Sugrue is now only the second Cork golfer to ever claim the overall amateur winner’s title, and the first Republic of Ireland player to win since 2005. With a crowd of over 3,000 people watching, many of whom were from the Mallow, Cork and Munster area, James secured his legacy at Portmarnock Golf Club in June. Successfully winning his last four holes, with a birdie on the 18th, Sugrue cemented his victory over his competitors, finishing with a one-hole win over Scotland’s Euan Walker. Previous Irish winners of the title include Jimmy Bruen, Brian McElhinney and Joe Carr.
Having already won competitions such as the 2017 South of Ireland, James’ list of achievements is becoming increasingly impressive. As a result of this win James will play in three Majors over the next 10 months as well as many other opportunities which are now available to him. He played in the Walker Cup match last month, as part of the Great Britain and Ireland team against team USA.
On his recent accomplishments, James remarked, “It was unreal. It was great to see so many familiar faces all through that week. This year has been amazing, and the support from the local Mallow Golf Club and community as well as the greater Cork area has been incredible.”
Next year James will play in the 2020 Masters and U.S. Open. He has already played in the Open in Portrush this year. “I played a lot of my practice rounds with Shane Lowry, who won the tournament, so that was very special” said James.
James will now have the chance to appear on the world stage, with the opportunity to play at Augusta, Georgia, and Pebble Beach, New York, something which many within the golfing community can only aspire to. Commenting on James’ success, Awards Organiser Manus O’Callaghan said, “James is a brilliant young player, with a bright future ahead of him. Everyone in Cork, and especially Mallow Golf Club, wishes him well in his Professional career in the years ahead.”
James Sugrue’s name will now go forward with the other monthly winners for possible selection as the Cork Person of the Year 2019 at a gala awards lunch, which will be held in Rochestown Park Hotel on January 17th 2020, before an invited audience of 250 people representing all sectors of Cork life.
