Kilfenora’s Jonathan Keane ends Lahinch’s 57-year wait for South of Ireland winner

The 18th was ringed with hundreds of spectators as Keane was chaired in victory by his supporters in a scene that summed up the magic of amateur golf at a venue that will host the Walker Cup next year.

Mon, 28 Jul, 2025 - 08:24

Brian Keogh

They say it takes a village, and it was never more fitting in the case of Jonathan Keane, as he overcame a serious back injury with the help of two Lahinch members and a former champion to become the first home winner of the Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland title in 57 years.

The 25-year-old Kilfenora schoolteacher completed a magical week over the famous west Clare dunes, rolling in a five-footer for a closing birdie to beat Dundalk's Caolan Rafferty one up and follow in the footsteps of his watching boyhood coach JD Smyth, who was the last Lahinch man to win the title in 1968.

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