Athenry golfer David Kitt ended another successful season with a top three finish on the Bridgestone Boys International Order of Merit.
Teenager Kitt (18) was a standout performer for Ireland at the Boys Home Internationals and his consistency throughout the year is reflected in his third place position on the Order of Merit. Kitt also represented Ireland at the European Boys Team Championship and his best individual result of the season on the international circuit came at the prestigious Fairhaven Trophy, where he finished 13th.
Kitt’s clubmate Allan Hill finished sixth and leading the way on the Bridgestone Boys International Order of Merit is Kilkenny’s Mark Power. Power was confirmed as Ireland’s number one following his selection for this year’s Jacques Leglise Trophy and the 18-year-old celebrated his Bridgestone triumph by helping Great Britain & Ireland to victory against the Continent of Europe.
An individual title may have proved elusive during the season but Power’s consistency, at senior and underage level, has been remarkable.
“I actually feel like I had a great year although I didn’t get the win I was really looking for,” said Power. “At boys level I suppose one of the main highlights was tied leading qualifier in the Boys Amateur Championship. One of my main goals was to have a good tournament there and I played great all week. Losing in the quarter-finals was a bit disappointing but it’s the biggest boys event in the world really.”
That run to the last eight of the Boys Amateur at Royal Portrush earned Power a sizeable chunk of points on the Order of Merit and his 100 per cent return at the Boys Home Internationals was another source of satisfaction.
“It was also nice to go 6/6 in my last Boys Home Internationals and I kept my 9/9 singles record from the three years I have played,” said Power, who became the first player ever to compile such a record.
This Bridgestone Boys International Order of Merit recognises the leading performers across the season. As part of the new format, the top three players earned automatic selection on the Ireland team for the Boys Home Internationals.
BRIDGESTONE BOYS INTERNATIONAL ORDER OF MERIT TOP 10
1 Mark Power (Kilkenny) 372
2 Aaron Marshall (Lisburn) 162
3 David Kitt (Athenry) 151
4 Tom McKibbin (Holywood) 115
5 Charlie Denvir (Elm Park) 109
6 Allan Hill (Athenry) 107
7 Eoin Murphy (Dundalk) 93
8 Max Kennedy (The Royal Dublin) 79
9 Joshua Robinson (Lisburn) 75
10 Odhran Maguire (Slieve Russell) 73
