MONTAGU CUP WIN FOR VINCENT

Vincent Campbell won Portstewart’s Montagu Cup on Saturday with a net 70.

Vincent plays off 20 but bettered this handicap spite of carding a nine and a seven at the par fives on the way out. He played the opening nine in 50 shots but steadied up well coming back in 40. This was in no small way helped by his albatross two at the par five thirteenth! Vincent holed out with his second shot, five iron, to pick up three shots on par, not bad for a 20 handicapper. Vincent’s gross 90 netted down to 70 to take top spot by three from Stephen Garrett.

This was a remarkable comeback for Stephen as there is a photograph of him searching the beach at Cushendall for a wayward ball or perhaps his pitching wedge. Anyway he had no such trouble on Saturday with two nines of 37 shots each. His bogey six at the long fourth was the only non par hole going out while a birdie four at thirteen was evened up by a dropped shot at the short twelfth. Seventeen cost Stephen a five to give him a gross 73 netting to 72. Stephen is now playing off scratch.

Best Gross winner for the day was Gerry Bradley with his 78 round. He was out in 39 shots with the help of his birdy four at seven. Birdies were hard to come by on the way in but Gerry was playing very well until he finished with three bogey fives for another 39 giving him his 78 gross. A net 74 gave Russell Stewart top billing in the Low Section. The seven handicapper was out in 40 shots including a birdie three at the ninth. No birdies on the back nine meant a return of 41, not helped by his only double bogey of the day at the short fifteenth. 81 gross, net 74 and the Low Section was Russell’s.

Best of the High Section was Jim Fleming with his net of 73. A good birdie four on the long seventh saw Jim cover the front nine in 44 shots and this good scoring continued into the homeward nine too. He birdied the long fourteenth but dropped six shots on the final three to be home in 46 for a gross 90 which netted down to 73.