Corbett, an impressive 14handicapper from Limerick County, held off the challenges of Anna Deignan of Stackstown and Loughrea's Marcella Fallon to win the ladies title with 109 stableford points from her three scoring rounds, while Murphy, from Oughterard GC on the shores of Lough Corrib, came through on a tense final day to clinch the men's award also with a total of 109 points.

Just over 140 clubs from the four provinces had entered players into the annual event and even though Ulster's leading qualifier in the ladies section, three-handicap Emma Oliver from Armagh, was unable to travel due to a family bereavement, the stage was set for another keenly-contested tournament when the seven finalists and their club representatives arrived at the Tivoli Almansor Hotel in Carvoeiro on the Algarve.

With the players able to discard one score from their four stableford rounds over Morgado Old, Vilamoura Old, Pinta and Morgado Alamos, both the ladies and the men's competitions were not surprisingly up for decision going into the final round.

Initially, Corbett had to play second fiddle to Deignan after the Stackstown 18-handicapper opened with solid scores of 34 and 35 points at Morgado Old and Vilamoura Old respectively. However, when Deignan struggled at picturesque Pinta, and when Connacht qualifier Fallon also found it hard to make up ground, Corbett's superb 39 points at Pinta gave her a distinct edge going into the last day. Despite the combination of final-round pressure and some tricky, sloping greens, all three contenders performed admirably at Morgado Alamos as Corbett's 37 points eventually gave her a fivepoint cushion over Deignan who just edged out Fallon.

A former Leinster hockey interprovincial, who played for both Pembroke Wanderers and Catholic Institute, 44year-old Corbett only took up the game four years ago, and while she won Limerick County's match-play championship this season, her Sunday Tribune/AIG victory more than made up for being pipped by just a single point for the club's Golfer of the Year title.

Meanwhile, 17-handicap Murphy had appeared to be in control of the men's race after he followed 37 points in breezy conditions at Morgado Old with a fine 36 points around the renowned, tree-lined Vilamoura Old course, but when the Galway-based taxi driver faltered at Pinta, Martin Garvey of Ceann Sibeal on the Dingle Peninsula grabbed the lead with one round remaining.

Garvey looked to be heading for the winner's podium when he still held the advantage after nine holes on the short, but narrow, Morgado Alamos lay-out, however, Murphy surged past his main rival to take the top prize thanks to an impressive 21 points on the back nine, with Kilrea's Davy Bamford and Michael Walsh of Stackstown in third and fourth places respectively.

While the men's and ladies competitions held centre stage over the week in Portugal, other prizes in the Club Representatives' categories went to the County Armagh lady captain, Catherine McAnerney, and to Oughterard's Dominic Downey, and there was no doubt over the leading light in the Secretary Managers' section where Michael O'Hanlon of East Clare held sway with a superb total of 120 points, while AIG's Simon Russell won the Sponsors and Guests section.

The Sunday Tribune/AIG All Ireland is an annual singles competition open to all club members affiliated to the Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies Golf Union.

AIG is a major backer of amateur golf in this country sponsoring both the Irish Close championship and the Senior Interprovincials.

No fee is requested from the players who participate in the event as AIG donates 1 from every premium of its Golfsure Personal product to the Beaumont Hospital Foundation for the purchase of cancer treatment equipment. To date, the Sunday Tribune/AIG tournament has raised close to 400,000 for the Beaumont Foundation.