Completed Event: Men's Golf at William H. Tucker Invitational on September 19, 2025 , , 7th of 18
M Golf
at William H. Tucker Invitational
7th of 18
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Murphy wins Connacht Men’s Championship
6/14/2023 12:25:00 PM | Men's Golf
GCU junior records back-to-back finishes in top 3 of Ireland events
Within a week of his second-place showing at the East of Ireland Championship, Grand Canyon junior golfer Sam Murphy turned around and won the Connacht Men's Stroke Play Championship in Portumna, Ireland, this weekend.
Murphy dominated the field from the start, totaling an 18-under-par scorecard to win by 10 strokes. He shot a 68 in the first, second and fourth rounds and posted his tournament low of 66 in the second round.
"Sam has grown tremendously this past season, and it started with his commitment to changing his off-the-course habits," said GCU assistant coach Mike Schaloum, who attended Murphty's competitions in Ireland this month. "From a golf perspective, we really worked on emotional regulatory on the course, which he's gotten much better at. And in practice, he's developed a one-way miss off the tee, which is a must-have for success. His swing coach, Gary Madden, is awesome as well and really keeps it simple for Sam back home."
The tournament was his second of the summer season and second straight top-three finish after tying for second in the East of Ireland Championship, where he was in a three-way playoff hole tiebreaker.
"That amount of change is never easy to do, but it is clearly paying off," Schaloum said. "It was really gratifying to not only see him have success this season, but also back home, where after these last two weeks, he's looked at as one of the best amateurs in the country at the moment."
Murphy jumped 14 places to 12th in the Bridgestone Order of Merit rankings. He has three tournaments left in his home country, including the South of Ireland Men's Amateur Open Championship (July 16-30, Mullingar Scratch Trophy (Aug. 6-7) and the Irish Men's Amateur Close Championship (Aug. 18-20).
Murphy dominated the field from the start, totaling an 18-under-par scorecard to win by 10 strokes. He shot a 68 in the first, second and fourth rounds and posted his tournament low of 66 in the second round.
"Sam has grown tremendously this past season, and it started with his commitment to changing his off-the-course habits," said GCU assistant coach Mike Schaloum, who attended Murphty's competitions in Ireland this month. "From a golf perspective, we really worked on emotional regulatory on the course, which he's gotten much better at. And in practice, he's developed a one-way miss off the tee, which is a must-have for success. His swing coach, Gary Madden, is awesome as well and really keeps it simple for Sam back home."
The tournament was his second of the summer season and second straight top-three finish after tying for second in the East of Ireland Championship, where he was in a three-way playoff hole tiebreaker.
"That amount of change is never easy to do, but it is clearly paying off," Schaloum said. "It was really gratifying to not only see him have success this season, but also back home, where after these last two weeks, he's looked at as one of the best amateurs in the country at the moment."
Murphy jumped 14 places to 12th in the Bridgestone Order of Merit rankings. He has three tournaments left in his home country, including the South of Ireland Men's Amateur Open Championship (July 16-30, Mullingar Scratch Trophy (Aug. 6-7) and the Irish Men's Amateur Close Championship (Aug. 18-20).
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
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