There
was a three-way tie for the eight places and the final slot
was decided over nine holes in the afternoon with McNeill
(37), Kidd (38) and Robertson retiring.
Later
in the day the matchplay event got underway with the following
results:
Pope
beat Hood 3 & 2; Edmundson beat Hamill 5 & 4, Moran
beat McNeill 3 & 2,and Snowball beat McNamara by two
holes. The following day the semi-finals saw Edmundson face
Pope and Moran against Snowball would make up the other
semi-final match. Edmundson took a commanding lead in the
first match and was four up by the turn closing the match
out on the thirteenth after a win, lose, win, win sequence
for the inward holes. The second semi was more exciting
with the match taken all the way to the last. By the turn
Snowball who was playing the better golf was 4up but in
a remarkable turnaround Moran had brought the match back
to level terms by the thirteenth but on the seventeenth
he was laid a dead stymie and this ultimately proved to
the match winner.
1908
Portmarnock Golf Club
There
is no record of Michael Moran having played in the 1908
Championship or at least if he did he didn't qualify for
the matchplay stages.
1909
Royal County Down GC, Newcastle
On
the 14th May 1909 the IPC thirty-six-hole final was played
over the Newcastle links with Michael Moran comprehensively
beating Harry Kidd the Malone professional by 9 & 7.
Accounts of the match recall Kidd securing an early three
hole lead with Moran bringing the match all square by the
turn. Moran proceeded to win four of the next five holes
but lost the next two leaving the match with a two up lead
at the half way stage. The final eighteen saw Moran playing
great golf as he was out in thirty nine despite high winds
leaving him seven up and followed it by winning the first
two holes on the inward journey to secure the match and
his first victory in the championship. This year was the
last year for the matchplay format and the eighth qualifiers
for the matchplay stages were:
M.
Moran (Royal Dublin) beat F. Bacon (Royal Portrush) 3 &
2
F
Smith (Hermitage) beat H. Hamill (Ormeau) 3 & 2
H.
Kidd (Malone) beat H. Ms Neill (Royal Portrush) 2 &
1
C.
W. Pope (Fortwilliam) beat James Edmundson (Bangor) 2 &
1
Semi-finals
Moran
beat Smith 5 & 4
Kidd
beat Pope 5 & 4
Final
Moran
beat Kidd 9 & 7
1910
Royal Dublin Golf Club (9-10 June)
In
the 1910 IPC, Michael Moran took the Championship with a
comfortable seven stroke (the first year as a strokeplay
competition) cushion from M Cahill (Skerries) and in the
process registered a new course record of 72 on the first
day, which he reduced by a further two strokes (70) the
next day on the Dollymount course. It was a further twenty-one
years before that aggregate score of 296 was bettered in
the same event.
1911
Royal Portrush Golf Club
The
venue for the 1911 Irish Professional Championship [IPC]
was Royal Portrush and it saw Michael Moran take his third
successive title. After four rounds of golf he was six shots
ahead of his nearest challenger, James Edmundson from Portrush,
but listed as unattached. Although level after the third
round Michael had a final round of 73 (310) compared to
Edmundson's 79 (316) and in doing so he set a new course
record which had been set by Edmundson and McNeill in their
morning rounds of 75. Even Hughie McNeill the Portrush professional
was a further three shots further back on his home course
when the scores were tallied. Michael Moran had first met
Edmundson in a challenge match in early 1909 at Dollymount
and managed to secure a half over thirty-six holes and it
was probably at this point that the country began to take
notice of the young professional who had matched the reigning
Irish Champion.
1912
Castlerock Golf Club
The
1912 a professional meeting was held at Portmarnock on the
18 September with Michael Moran taking his the title with
an 85/75 for a two round total of 160. H Hamill the Ormeau
professional was one shot further back. The sponsor of this
event was the Irish region of the professional golfers association.
Earlier
in the year on the 9/10 May he won the fourth of his five
IPC titles at Castlerock with rounds of 77,78, 75 and 75
for a four round total of 305, six strokes ahead of his
nearest challenger P. Doyle who shot an amazing 72 in his
second round and went into the second day three shots in
front.
1913
Portmarnock
In
1913 the IPC was held at Portmarnock on the 31st July/1
August but P O'Hare the Foxrock professional had a six stroke
lead going into the final round but a final round of 75
ensured Michael Moran, the "mercurial Irishman",
took his last title in this event.
THE
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
1909
Deal, Royal Cinque Ports
A
record number of 204 entries to this Open Championship including
Michael Moran were in the field for the first time. Moran
quickly made an impression and showed he wasn't just there
to make up the numbers. The qualifiers were split into two
sections, out of over hundred players he was joint fifth
on the same score [75+78=153] as Harry Vardon, one behind
George Duncan and five behind James Braid but the qualifiers
counted for nothing except for entry into the main event.
On
Friday, 11 June the Open Championship would start proper
with Moran without a partner for the first round and playing
with Ted Ray in the afternoon round. His scores in the two
rounds were 82 and 81, leaving him well out of contention.
The conditions the following day improved and Moran took
advantage by shooting a 74 which only one other player bettered
(three others finished on this score) and that was James
Braid who finished runner-up in the Championship to J H
Taylor the eventual winner. A final round of 77 left him
in Joint 21st place, which wasn't bad for a first outing.
1910
St. Andrews Golf Club
Again
a record entry for the Championship with 210 entries, 199
professionals and 11 amateurs. The winner would receive
the Championship Cup, the winners gold medal, GBP50 and
a special jubilee medal. The qualifying rounds were to take
place on the Tuesday and Wednesday, 21-22 June, but the
opening rounds were declared null and void for the first
time in the Championship's history as the weather turned
to thunderstorms. Moran first two rounds (there were probably
eight scores better than his) in the Championship was 77,
in a draw which had George Duncan leading the way with a
seventy-three and at the time this was a new course record
but it was to be bettered the following day.
The
following day Moran improved on his score with a 75. He
started with 4,4,4,4 and par outwards to the ninth where
he had a five, he held a pitch on the tenth to recover the
lost stroke on the previous hole and although taking a six
on the fourteenth he pared his way in from there. This,
at the time, left him in third place with Sandy Herd and
E .P. Gaudin from Worplesdon but by the end of the day he
was joint fifth.
In
his wake at the half way mark were names like Vardon, Taylor,
Massy, Ball and Ray. In the two Championship rounds on the
Friday he was partnered with P. E. Taylor from Melton but
a 79 and 81 on the Friday moved him down the field and he
finally finished in joint 14th behind Braid who had now
become first to win the Open Championship five times.
1911
Sandwich, Royal St George's 26 June - 30 June
Michael
Moran had the best round on the first day's play of the
51st Open Championship with a round of 72. While he opened
with a 5 he ran off a succession of fours, and after holing
a long putt at "Hades", he secured a two and an
outward score of thirty-five. While his inward nine was
a little more erratic and required a few long putts to make
up for the fact he hit a few hazards, his recovery play
was excellent. However the first round scores of all competitors
weren't completed until the following day at which stage
J.H.Taylor had matched Moran's score and the amateur Blackwell
had gone one better.
However,
a storm was brewing after the second day's play when a small
section were just completing their first round and that
was that the overnight pin positions had been changed and
in equity this was evidently unfair but that had to allow
and the Championship proceeded while putting their hands
up that they made an error, the professionals registered
their complaint but the committee let the decision stand,
stating the size of the field precipitated the new pin positions,
at the same time realising it could be appealed upon completion
of the Championship.
The
second round of the Championship was not concluded until
the Wednesday and a who's who of golf at the time clustered
at the top of the leaderboard with George Duncan on 144,
Ray, Vardon and Taylor on 148 and then Moran in a group
on 150, which included Harold Hilton and Sandy Herd. After
this Moran began to fade with two rounds of 83 and 81 which
dropped him to joint 21st in the Championship.
1912
Muirfield, Honourable Company 24-25 June
The
qualifying rounds for the Open Championship in this year
would not count for the Open championship proper and were
held in the week prior to the final championship round.
Sixty-two players qualified for the final four rounds of
the Championship which would be held on Monday and Tuesday,
24-25 June. Moran was joint second behind Ted Ray in his
section of the qualifiers with a remarkable; 4, 3, 4, 4,
4, 4, finish during the first round and while he had problems
with his putting earlier in the round this incredible finish
allowed him hand in a first round total of 78.
In
his next round he started with a three followed by three
fives all secured with three putts on each green. From then
on he played perfect golf to the turn and after a slice
on the 10th resulting in a five he played immaculate golf
with superlative driving and approach play. At the long
sixteenth (464 yards) he almost held his brassie shot for
a three and a five at the finishing hole gave him a 77 and
an aggregate of 155. At this stage Moran was leading the
field.
The
Open Championship in 1912 was at Muirfield and in the first
round Michael Moran went out in 38 and on the inward nine
started with five 4's and a 3 and looked on target for the
perfect round only to see it unravel at the 16th where he
hit a hazard and took two shots to extricate himself. He
still managed to shoot 76 on a course that was 6,448 yards.
His second round was an uneventful 79 but H McNeill had
just sneaked ahead of him, as the top Irish player with
a 154 total.
Moran
now in joint twelfth would partner Arnaud Massy the 1908
champion for the final two rounds. His final two rounds
of 80 and 79 left him in joint 14th the same result as the
1910 Championship the best he had yet achieved.
1913
Hoylake, Royal Liverpool 23-24 June
There
were 269 entries for the Championship, forty-three above
the previous highest total achieved in 1911 at Sandwich.
The players were drawn into three sections with the top
twenty and ties in each section to qualify over thirty-six
holes for the Open Championship to be played on the 23-24
June.
The
Championship was marred by bad weather with the opening
round being delay an hour to allow drainage of the "Alps"
(11th hole) where water had built up and the weather was
to worsen throughout the day. Moran handled the elements
well and by the end of the second round was lying in third
place.
The
Dunlop Rubber Co. Ltd were using Moran's accomplishments
to promote their Dunlop V golf ball which he was using during
these rounds. His two 74s in the second and fourth rounds
were the second and the best rounds of their respective
days. On the second day a gale had appeared from the West
and the wind and rain was pummelling the players especially
as they turned the corner at the first and the third.
It
was the third round that witnessed one of the great tragedies
of the Championship, when as Taylor recalled, Mike had taken
ten strokes on the opening hole of the third round. Mike
had knocked his second shot out of bounds and found the
bunker with his next. Clearly rattled by what had gone before
he took four strokes to get out of the bunker and took 89
strokes in the round after the 10, 5, 7 start. It's to his
interminable credit that he picked himself up from this
to follow with a 74 in the next round, the best round of
the day to secure him third place with Harry Vardon. In
the end J.H. Taylor won the Championship by nine strokes
from Mike which if nothing else (given the disastrous third
round) reflects the fact that he arguably a match for the
greatest players of this era. JP Murray, the journalist,
stated that he played these matches - "with borrowed
clubs and in army boots" - his efforts secured him
the princely sum of £12.10s.
1914
Prestwick 18-19 June
Prior
to the championship Moran, now the professional at Seaham
Harbour Golf Club, played in a Cruden Bay 150 pound tournament
(5 June) where he qualified for an elite field Braid(148),
Vardon (146), Taylor (153), Ray (149), Duncan (157) etc)
for the last sixteen. Moran (155) was fifth in the qualifiers
behind all the aforementioned players with the exception
of Duncan. Moran met Harry Vardon (the eventual winner at
Prestwick) in the second round after beating J. Park (Musselburgh)
in the first round but was beaten by 4 and 3.
Moran
entered the Championship as the professional at Seaham Harbour
all the other Championships were as professional for Royal
Dublin or Dollymount as it was known up to 1910. The qualifiers
were staged at Troon and Prestwick, Moran qualified well
down the list on 75, 83: 158 (163 secured qualification
mark), P.O'Hare, the Foxrock player, picked up the mantle
(79,74: 153) for Ireland qualifying in seventh place. However
Moran shot a 75 in the first round of the qualifiers at
Troon leaving him in third place behind Vardon (73) and
Ray (74). His scores were: [Out] 4,5,4,4,4,5,4,3,4=37 [In]
4,4,4,4,3,5,6,4,4=38 Total 75. Bernard Darwin writing for
the Times commented: "The Irishman Michael Moran
played very sound golf. He seems to have steadied down a
little in his hitting since last year, and to be playing
more within himself and his putting was quite excellent."
This
year saw Vardon take his sixth Open Championship, which
hasn't yet been equalled. O'Hare and Moran matched each
other at the end of 36 holes but Moran pulled ahead slightly
when he finished 82 and 76 compared with the Foxrock player's
84 and 78 but Moran still finished the Championship in a
lowly (for him) joint 25th place. Within two weeks of the
Championship events were unfolding in Sarajevo that would
lead Britain to war and eventually take the life of one
of Ireland's greatest pre-World War golfers.
Death
of a champion golfer
The
Great War saw many gallant men die and Ireland was not immune
from the carnage, along with Michael Moran, G. Boyd, the
1912 South of Ireland champion and Lieutenant Averell Digges
La Touche paid the ultimate price. William Gibson's research,
in his seminal work on the history of Irish golf, identified
that Moran joined the 7th Battalion (South of Irish Horse)
of the Royal Irish Regiment, they travelled to France to
play their part in the Great War. Private Michael Moran
made his last trip back to Ireland in 1917 where he was
photographed playing golf, in uniform, at Clontarf Golf
Club. It is understood that the South Irish Horse disbanded
in September 1917 which may explain is return to Ireland
and is subequent change of regiment to that of the Royal
Irish Regiment.
At
the time of his death his battalion was part of the 49th
Brigade of the 16th (Irish) Division.
It
isn't clear why he joined the war effort but he was still
playing exhibition matches on behalf of the British Red
Cross Society in August (Castle GC) and September (Clontarf
GC) of 1915 at which time there was no mention of him having
joined the armed forces. Many games were played around the
golf courses of Ireland in aid of the war effort the two
mentioned above coincided with Moran visit back to Ireland
and he was no longer affiliated with any club. His game
was still very much finely tuned for these matches. In the
match at the Castle Golf Club eighteen professionals turned
out with Moran (72) winning by seven shots from Pat O'Hare
(79), the professional at Foxrock GC while at the same time
producing a new course record. At Clontarf he shot a 73
losing by one shot to Pat O'Hare. The Dollymount Golf Club
was now a base for musketry training and with all professionals
struggling to make a living it may be that circumstances
necessitated his enlisting in the army.
On
30 December 1915 the following report appeared in the Times
newspaper:
Michael
Moran, who for five years won the Irish Professional Golf
Championship, has enlisted and is now a private in the South
Irish Horse. He left Ireland two years ago to become professional
at Seaham Harbour.
It
may have been the intention that Seaham Harbour would take
him back as professional after the war as a T.Curley was
recorded as having joined the club in 1917 as a professional.
It may be only coincidence but Curley was the maiden name
of his mother and he had an uncle Thomas to whom this may
refer.
J
Roche-Kelly, LtCol. Comdg. 7th(SIH) Royal Irish Regt. takes
up the story of how the division were involved in the Battle
of the Lys (9th-29th April 1918). This was the part of the
major spring offensive (The Kaisersclacht) by the German
army who had been much strengthened on the western front
by the collapse of Russia, enabling them to transfer many
Divisions to the Western Front. He must have been on the
frontline when the battle started as it was recorded that
he died of wounds, not long after the start of the Kaisersclacht.
Le
Cateau was in an area controlled by the Germans until Oct
1918 and he was effectively a prisoner of war when he died,
and was buried by the Germans at Le Cateau, an important
German Hospital centre. He died on the 10 April 1918 at
the War Hospital Le Cateau and was buried at Le Cateau Military
Cemetery Grave I. B. 32., after being fatally wounded in
battle, while the hospital was still in German hands. [Pte.
Michael Moran 25619 Royal Irish Regiment previously 1838
South
Irish Horse]. Click here
for more information about Le Cateau Military Cemetery.
In
his honour the Michael Moran Cup was inaugurated in 1920,
open to Irish professionals, the winners are a veritable
who's who of Irish golf. During the early 70's the competition
reincarnated itself into a fourball format after it was
cancelled in 1969. However the competition ended in 1979
due to lack of a sponsor, the Cup was resurrected again
and is still played for today. The fourteenth hole on the
Royal Dublin Golf Links is called Moran's in his honour.
The
arboretum which is now his resting place can be partially
viewed (Google Maps) North-East of Paris where the N43 and
D932 converge near the town of Le Cateau-Cambresis.
Maybe its time they brought this Fleur de Lys home.
