Lowry, Sugrue, Wilson and Smyth honoured at Allianz Irish Golf Writers’ Awards

Shane Lowry with the The Irish Golf Writers Association Professional Player of the Year award for 2019, with, from left, Paul Kelly, Chairman of the Irish Golf Writer’s Association, Des Smyth with the award for Distinguished Services to Golf, James Sugrue with the Men’s Amateur of the Year Award for 2019 and Peter Kilcullen from Allianz during the 2019 Allianz Irish Golf Writers Association Awards at Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links in Dublin. Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile

Shane Lowry’s historic win in The 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush has earned the 32-year-old Offalyman the Professional Player of the Year for 2019 at the Irish Golf Writers’ Association awards, sponsored by Allianz, at Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links, Co Dublin.

In a quite extraordinary year for Irish professional golfers, with Rory McIlroy scooping the FedEx Cup title on the PGA Tour – in a season with four victories – and Leona Maguire impressively claiming a full LPGA Tour card for 2020, the standout achievement was that of Lowry’s breakthrough Major title in July where he was a six-strokes winner over Tommy Fleetwood in the Open on its return to the Causeway Coast for the first time since 1951.

Lowry also claimed the Abu Dhabi Championship earlier in the season, his first Rolex Series title, but it was his performance at Royal Portrush – where he became the first Irishman to lift the Claret Jug on Irish soil – that set him apart in earning a second IGWA Professional of the Year award, having first won in 2015.

James Sugrue, from Mallow in Co Cork, had paved the way in making for a unique double in Irish golf. The 22-year-old won the Amateur Championship at Portmarnock Golf Club in June, where he produced a resolute performance throughout the week – from surviving strokeplay qualifying at The Island, and then taking out all-comers in the matchplay phase at Portmarnock – to beat Scotland’s Euan Walker in the 36-holes final.

Lurgan’s Annabel Wilson, a two-time Irish girls’ champion, made the step-up in grade to claim the Irish Women’s Close championship on the final hole of a magnificent duel with Paula Grant at Woodbrook Golf Club. Wilson, currently in her first year of a golfing scholarship at UCLA in California, has been recognised as one of the up-and-coming stars of the women’s game here, having already represented Ireland in two World Amateur Team Championships.

Des Smyth has been recognised with the Distinguished Services to Golf award for his outstanding contribution to the sport in Ireland. A winner of eight PGA European Tour titles in a superb career which extended into a second lease on the seniors circuit where he won on the Champions Tour in the United States and what is now known as the Staysure Tour in Europe, he also played in two Ryder Cups and also served as vice-captain. In recent years has served as an ambassador for Team Ireland Golf in helping fledgling professionals and also as an ambassador for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

Paul Kelly, Chairman of the Irish Golf Writer’s Association, described the awards presentation as a “unique occasion in bringing together the Open champion Shane Lowry and Amateur champion James Sugrue to celebrate and reflect on what has been a remarkable year for Irish golf, on and off the course.”

He added: “I’m especially delighted to celebrate this wonderful year for Irish golf in the company of Des Smyth, a truly deserved recipient of the Distinguished Services Award and in congratulating Annabel Wilson who has her sights set on following Stephanie Meadow and Leona Maguire onto the LPGA Tour.”

Stephanie Meadow scoops Professional of the Year accolade

2018 Allianz Irish Golf Writers’ Association Awards, Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links, Dublin 13/12/2018. Damian O'Neill, (Allianz), Sara Byrne (Women's Amateur of the Year), Robin Dawson, (Men's Amateur Golfer of the Year), Miriam Hand who received the Distinguished Services to golf award in honour of her work with the "Play in Pink" breast cancer charity and Paul Kelly, Chairman of the Irish Golf Writers Association. Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Oisin Keniry

Stephanie Meadow’s fortitude and resilience in returning from serious injury to regain her full LPGA Tour card for next season has earned her the Professional Player of the Year Award for 2018 from the Irish Golf Writers’ Association, sponsored by Allianz.

Stephanie Meadow with the IOA Championship trophy

Meadow, 26, is the first woman to win the award since its inception in 1976.

The Northern Irishwoman suffered a stress fracture (L5) in her spine during the 2017 season, but was unable to avail of a medical exemption on the LPGA Tour, underwent surgery and endured over four months of rehabilitation to resurface with renewed determination in the 2018. 

Playing on the Symetra Tour, Meadow won the IOA Championship, had nine top-10s during the year and claimed a full LPGA Tour card for next season by finishing sixth on the order of merit.

“I am so honoured and so humbled to have won the Professional Golfer of the Year,” Meadow said. “I was knocked on my face a little  bit last year and to come out and have such a great season and to top it off by being recognised as the Professional Golfer of the Year is truly remarkable.

.@StephMeadow20 made history yesterday when she came the first female winner of the @IGWAssociation Professional of the Year Award since its inception in 1976. Congratulations Stephanie on a great 2018. pic.twitter.com/M2BtKwcUiS

— Irish Golf Writers' Association (@IGWAssociation) December 14, 2018

“I have a lot of people to thank, because it is not just me who got me here. To the ILGU. Girls golf has come a long way in the last 10 years and to win this award on behalf of them is unbelievable. Their training programmes have made me the golfer I am today.

“I have a lot of people in my corner who I would like to thank. My coaches, my sports psychologist, my fitness trainer who made me healthy again and my family and close friends, who picked me up this past year and got me through it.”

Her award was accepted on her behalf at the awards dinner in Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links on Thursday night by Sinéad Heraty, chief executive of the Irish Ladies Golf Union.

Here is 20x20’s first Ambassador film with @StephMeadow20, who last night became the first woman to win IGW Professional of the Year. The encouragement she got from her Dad has played a huge role in her success. Here's to the parents who have supported us.#20x20 #CantSeeCantBe pic.twitter.com/JsIbSxB9ui

— 20x20 (@20x20_ie) December 14, 2018

Robin Dawson received the Men’s Amateur Player of the Year award following a standout final season as an amateur in which the 22-year-old Waterfordman captured the FloGas Irish Amateur Open Championship at Royal Co Down in May, finished runner-up in the British Amateur Championship and was second in the European Amateur Championship. 

Sara Byrne, 17, won the Irish Ladies’ Close Championship at Enniscrone and also finished runner-up in the Leinster Women’s Open Championship. The Douglas, Co Cork, teenager represented Ireland in the World Junior Championship, the European Girls’ Team Championship, the Home International Girls’ Championship and topped the ILGU Girls’ Order of Merit.

The Distinguished Services to Golf award was presented to Miriam Hand, who is the driving force behind the “Play in Pink” charitable initiative to raise funds in aid of Breast Cancer Research. The initiative has gone from strength to strength in recent years, raising more than €600,000 since 2011. In 2018 alone, in excess of €160,000 was raised at events throughout the country.

Delgany’s Eamonn Darcy, who won the inaugural Professional of the Year Award in 1976, was also present at the dinner and presented with a special memento to mark his career achievements following his recent retirement from the competitive scene.