Irish champion Mary Gorry (Baltinglass), who won the Irish Golf Writers' Association award last year as the outstanding woman golfer, has again been voted the winner in that category this year, writes Edmund Van Escbeck. She thus has the distinction of being the first person to win two IGWA awards.
The men's amateur winner is Irish close champion Mick Morris (Portmarnock); David Jones, who won the PGA club professionals title, has been voted professional of the year, while Harry Bradshaw, the veteran Portmarnock professional, has won the distinguished service award.
The trophies will be presented to the winners at the association's dinner, which will be held at Mill-town Golf Club on January 8th and will be sponsored by P. J. Carroll & Co.
Miss Gorry, who won the national title at Grange in May, also captured the Leitrim Cup as leading stroke play qualifier in the Irish championship. Also successful in the Hermitage Scratch Cup, which was contested by a field of International quality. Miss Gorry, In addition, took the Castletroy and Royal Portrush scratch cups. She was a member of the Irish team in the international championships and of the British and Irish Vagliano Trophy team.
Morris had an outstanding season and his success in the close championship at Carlow earned him his first international honours in tht international championship at Ashburnham. In addition to taking the Irish title, he was also successful in the Woodbrook, Shannon and Waterford scratch cups. He was a convincing winner of the Willie Gill award as the leading points scorer in the championship series that incorporated regional and national titles.
Jones had a most rewarding season. He was the best Irish finisher in the British open championship at St Andrew's and won the Irish Dunlop tournament at Hermitage in addition to taking the PGA club professionals title. He partnered Paul Leonard to win the Moran Better Ball All Ireland tournament and was a member of the British and Irish side that won the Mini-Ryder Cup contest against the United States.
Bradshaw will be a popular winner of the distinguished service title and, in fact, becomes the first player to gain this award won previously by two outstanding administrators, Miss Violet Haslett and Willie Gill. Bradshaw has graced the professional scene with great success in the post-war era. He finished runner-up in most unlucky circumstances to Bobby Locke in the British Open shortly after the war and, a frequent winner of the Irish national title and successful and the British tournament scene, he partnered Christy O'Connor to win the Canada Cup in Mexico in 1958.