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sport · Sunday 19 July 2026 · TBD 
Mullingar Scratch Trophy Golf Championship
At Mullingar Golf Club · Mullingar Golf Club, Co. Westmeath
At Mullingar Golf Club · Mullingar Golf Club, Co. Westmeath
The Mullingar Scratch Trophy is one of the most keenly watched weekends in Irish amateur golf. Running since 1963, it has earned a genuine reputation as the country’s premier scratch cup - not just because of its 72-hole strokeplay format, which tests staying power as much as skill, but because of the roll call of players who have won it on their way to far bigger things. Padraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley all have history here. For any serious golf watcher, the chance to see the country’s best amateurs competing at close quarters over two days is hard to match.
The competition runs across Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July, with all four rounds played at Mullingar Golf Club’s parkland course at Belvedere, roughly 5 km outside town. The format is 72-hole strokeplay - two rounds each day - with the field cut after qualifying to the top 51 players, who then go again in the final two rounds. Upwards of 90 elite amateurs typically contest the event, drawn from clubs across Ireland, competing for Bridgestone Order of Merit points and a place on Ireland’s Home Internationals panel alongside the trophy itself.
The course was designed by James Braid and opened in 1937, set among mature oak and beech on the old Belvedere estate. Accuracy off the tee matters here - miss the fairway and the trees make your next shot a recovery. The par-3 second, measuring 189 yards from an elevated tee, has long been considered one of the finest inland short holes in the country. Spectators can walk the course freely and follow play at close range. Live scoring is available at golfnet.ie.
Mullingar sits at the centre of the Irish Midlands, roughly 80 km from Dublin via the N4/M4 - about an hour by car. Bus Eireann runs regular services from Dublin Busaras and from Athlone. The golf club is a short drive or taxi ride from Mullingar town. Parking is available at the club on competition days.
Mullingar is a lively market town with good food options along the main street and on Oliver Plunkett Street. Lough Derravaragh and Lough Ennell are a short drive away for a walk or a look at the midlands lakescape. There is more to see in Mullingar and across Co. Westmeath.
Heading to Mullingar Golf Club in Mullingar? Westmeath has plenty more to see. Read the Mullingar area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.