Golfing granny Mary McCabe won Drumpellier’s bronze matchplay ladies’ championship — three decades after success in the first running of the competition.
The 74-year-old lifted the Dunlop Trophy after victory over Winnie Cossar in the final.
In an entertaining final at the end of club championship week, both players gave their all with Mary clinching the win in a play-off on the 19th hole.
“I just could not believe it,” said Mary, who is mother-of-five and grandmother-of-10 when asked how it felt to have won the trophy.
“I was in a state of suspended animation!
“I had not put my name down for the matchplay in the last five or six years but I was persuaded to take part this time. I’m glad I did.”
Mary, who plays off a handicap of 23, played 66 holes of golf during championship week, culminating in the final with Winnie.
But things didn’t start well for Mary, who was ladies’ captain in 1985 and has been a member at Drumpellier for almost 40 years.
“I couldn’t actually believe that I got to the final,” she recalled. “But I couldn’t hit the ball for the first three or four holes.
“Thankfully, it all came together in the end.”
Mary came back from four down to claim the championship for the first time since 1983 when she was the inaugural winner.
Looking back on her week on the course, the retired nurse said: “I felt I played well on the Tuesday and I played really well on the Thursday.
“After the final, I got a lift back to the clubhouse in a buggy and we had a big party. It was wonderful.”
It’s believed Mary, who played for Drumpellier’s ladies’ team for a number of years, is the oldest-ever bronze matchplay winner.
During the presentation ceremony, she was handed a picture which showed her playing a shot on the course’s ninth hole.
And the caption accompanying the image?
Oldest swinger in town.
“I love golf,” added Mary.
Will she be back in 2014?
“I will play next year if I can,” she said.
