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A STROLL between rounds was always a pleasant pastime for competitors in amateur golf and this picture shows a group of Munster's finest players doing just that during the Irish Amateur Open Championship at Royal Dublin in 1954. Tom Egan, left, played out of Monkstown and won the Irish Amateur Close in 1952 to spring onto the Irish team where he stayed until 1968. John Fitzgibbon, second left, played out of Cork and is nowadays Portmarnock. His biggest moment was winning the Irish Amateur Open at Newcastle in 1955. He played for Ireland in 1955, 1956 and again in 1957 in which year he contested the West of Ireland final with his friend Tony Mahon.
Tony Mahon, third left, was affectionately known as The Master because of his vast range of shots. His brother Paddy was a famous professional of the 1930s and Tony flirted with professionalism before settling down to a long amateur career which saw him reach the final of the South of Ireland in 1954 and win the West in 1957. Johnnie Butler, fourth left, now lives in Galway with fond memories of the 1950s when he was one of the great Douglas players and was capped for Munster.
Mick Power, fourth from right, was one of the all-time greats of Irish golf as he won the South in 1950, the East and Close in 1951 and the South again in 1952. He should have won more as he lost the finals of the South and Close in 1953 and was again a South finalist in 1956 and 1957. He was a fixture on the Irish team from 1947 to 1954. Larry McCarthy, third right, was another Muskerry legend as he played for Ireland in 1953, 1954, 1955 and 1956.
Jack Lawlor, second right, would rank alongside Loyal Goulding as the most talented player not to have been selected for Munster while George Crosbie, right, holds a remarkable record as he was the beaten finalist in three National Close championships in succession from 1955 through 1957.
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YOU ARE HERE: 19 March 2007 / tribune.ie / 2006 / 11 / 19
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