Adam is best Barr none in Da Prato Cup competition at Raceview

Adam Barr topped some remarkable scoring with a 44 stableford points haul to win the Da Prato Cup competition at Ballymena Golf Club.
On the first tee at Ballymena Golf Club for the Da Prato Cup competition were Davy Montgomery, Derek Francey and Kenny Morrison. INBT 16-848HOn the first tee at Ballymena Golf Club for the Da Prato Cup competition were Davy Montgomery, Derek Francey and Kenny Morrison. INBT 16-848H
On the first tee at Ballymena Golf Club for the Da Prato Cup competition were Davy Montgomery, Derek Francey and Kenny Morrison. INBT 16-848H

Barr was playing off a handicap of six and began his round with two pars followed by two birdies and he went on to complete the first nine holes with four more pars and another birdie on the ninth as he reached the turn with 24 points already on his card.

The second nine holes didn’t quite live up to that high standard he dropped a shot at the 10th and two shots on the 11th.

However, Adam managed to retrieve two of those shots with birdies at 13 and 16, with the other five holes being pars, for an additional 20 points as he completed his round in two over gross.

Taking part in the Da Prato Cup competition at Ballymena Golf Club were Tommy Surgenor, Noel Kidd and Brian Phillips. INBT 16-849HTaking part in the Da Prato Cup competition at Ballymena Golf Club were Tommy Surgenor, Noel Kidd and Brian Phillips. INBT 16-849H
Taking part in the Da Prato Cup competition at Ballymena Golf Club were Tommy Surgenor, Noel Kidd and Brian Phillips. INBT 16-849H

Second nett was taken by Gerard Rafferty (8) with the best of three 43 points returns.

He scored six pars, two bogeys and birdie at the par five third for 21 points, while his back nine yielded seven pars, a bogey and a birdie at 13 for a further 22 points.

Third prize was won by Brian Casey (18) who also recorded 43 points but lost out to Rafferty over the second nine but he himself had a better second nine score than fourth-placed Sean McLarnon.

Casey’s front nine produced 22 points from five bogeys and four pars.

Taking part in the Da Prato Cup competition at Ballymena Golf Club were Tommy Surgenor, Noel Kidd and Brian Phillips. INBT 16-849HTaking part in the Da Prato Cup competition at Ballymena Golf Club were Tommy Surgenor, Noel Kidd and Brian Phillips. INBT 16-849H
Taking part in the Da Prato Cup competition at Ballymena Golf Club were Tommy Surgenor, Noel Kidd and Brian Phillips. INBT 16-849H

His back nine was equal to four pars, four bogeys - including three on the last three holes - and a double bogey on the 12th as he added 20 points.

Fourth-placed McLarnon (17) had his best nine hole total on the outward trip with 24 points from five pars, three bogeys and a birdie on the fourth.

The tougher inward nine accounted for six bogeys, two pars plus a double concession on the 12th for an additional 19 points.

Noel Totten (19) secured the fifth nett prize with a total of 42 points, of which 23 came from the first nine holes, which he played in level par gross.

He added a further 19 points to his tally on the secodn nine, on which he scored five bogeys, three pars and a birdie at the 13th hole.

Stephen Hayes (12) took the last of the six nett prizes with a total of 41 points, of which 22 came from the second nine.

A front nine of five bogeys plus four pars produced 19 points, to which he added five pars, three bogeys and a birdie on the homeward run.

The best gross card came from Michael Smyth (4) who played the course in two over par, 70 shots.

The outward nine holes accounted for level par 35 shots, whereas he dropped two shots to par on the inward nine.

SUNDAY OPEN STABLEFORD

The Sunday open stableford competition at Ballymena Golf Club resulted in an astonishing winning total of 51 points being recorded by Phil Alexander.

Playing off a handicap of fifteen shots, he completed his round in level par.

That score came from an outward nine holes of five pars, dropped shots apiece at the fifth and eighth but these were cancelled out by birdies at the first and ninth holes as he completed the opening nine holes with twenty-five points on his card.

The inward nine saw Alexander score five pars, bogeys at the tenth and fifteenth and he birdied the fifteenth and eighteenth holes for an additional twenty-six points as he passed the magical half-century total of stableford points for an unforgettable round.

Second nett was Gavin Mark, a player who has been in good form at Raceview in recent weeks.

The twenty-six handicapper recorded a total of forty-two points, of which twenty-two came on the first nine holes.

His second nine added a further twenty points to his total, which could have been even greater but for his failure to score any points on the par three tenth hole.

Nevertheless, his second nine hole total of twenty was adequate to push Paul McAtamaney into third place after he also carded foyrt-two points.

The twenty-four handicapper had a superb opening nine holes where he recorded twenty-five points from five bogeys and four pars.

The back nine was a much different story, where he scored a bogey at the tenth, a triple bogey on the eleventh and the remaining seven holes were all played in five strokes as he added a further seventeen points to his tally.

Fourth prize was won by Steven Thompson, who had the best of the forty point returns.

The nineteen-handicapper chalked up twenty-one points on the second nine holes and a birdie on the closing hole was worth four points on its own.

John G Montgomery was fifth, also on forty points, and that included a costly ‘ding’ on the fifteenth.

However, the twenty-five handicapper scored nineteen points on the other eight holes which was enough to push Sean McLarnon (17) into sixth spot, also on forty points.

The best gross score was returned by Adam Barr (6) who played the eighteen holes in one over par gross, sixty-nine shots.

LADIES

Sandra Lennox was in winning form at Ballymena Golf Club last week as she claimed the top prize in the Moran Red Cow Hotel-sponsored Heat Tournament.

Her winning total of 36 points saw her finish one clear of nearest rival and runner-up, Kerry Rose McIlroy.

Both ladies now move through to the next stage of the competition which will be hosted by Massereene Golf Club later in the summer.