Talented McKinstry is making his Marc

Larne talent Marc McKinstry is making waves in local golfing circles after he topped the Ulster Under-18 Boys’ Order of Merit for 2014.
Cairndhu Golf Club's Marc McKinstry. Photo: Bill GuillerCairndhu Golf Club's Marc McKinstry. Photo: Bill Guiller
Cairndhu Golf Club's Marc McKinstry. Photo: Bill Guiller

At just 16, the Cairndhu GC member is the youngest ever player to win this title.

His consisent performances saw him scoop top spot by a significant 13-point margin.

“To win this over all the events throughout the year is a great honour for myself. I never thought for a minute that I could ever win this Under-18 boys’ trophy,” said Marc.

From a strong golfing family, McKinstry, who has already represented Ireland in the ‘4 Nations in Holland’ and more recently showed what he can do at the Italian Open near Milan, puts a lot of time and effort into improving his game.

“I do play a lot of golf, but realise that I do have to put a lot more work into my game on the practise ground. Working on my short game will be a priority this year,” he admitted.

His dad, John, who is also captain of the Ulster Boys’ team, told the Times: “Marc needs to perform to justify his selection in the Ulster team. To finish first in Ulster certainly made my job a lot easier when it came to the selection process.

“Both my wife, Nicola, and myself are very proud of Marc’s achievements.

“He has two years left in Under-18 boys’ golf and hopefully he will continue to improve.”

Reece Black, also from Cairndhu, won the Under-15 Order of Merit, while Ryan Long was fourth in the Under-18s category.

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