John leads way in cup competition

Considering the miserable wet week the course was very playable for the competitors. However showers and a blustery wind made scoring difficult for most of the200 odd competitors. On the day 17 golfers registered scores of 37 points or better. This represented about eight per cent of the entry.

A five under par return of 41 points brought joy and the cup to John Forrester. Playing off a fifteen handicap John coped better than most in conditions more akin to autumn. On the outward nine six pars on his card put him in good standing. Bogeys ensued on holes three, five and six. His back nine started with a birdie on the tenth. Pars came his way on holes twelve and seventeen. A couple of double bogeys didn’t dampen the spirits and John held on for this worthy victory.

Pat Burke managed a tally of 40 points to secure the runners-up slot. This six handicapper has had a restricted amount of golf this season but his game rarely deserts him. He began with five pars and a birdie over the opening six holes. The birdie came at the fifth. He ended the front nine with a bogey, par, bogey run. A similar scoring pattern emerged on the inward nine. He birdied the tenth but bogeys were pencilled in at holes eleven and sixteen. Still pars on the other six holes guided him to the winning enclosure.

Young Philip Shaw produced a total of 39 points to snap up the third net prize. Off his four handicap Philip coped admirably in the tough conditions. Birdies came his way on holes one, three and ten. On the flip side of the coin he encountered bogeys at holes two, five, sixteen and eighteen. Par figures on the rest of the holes brought him some solace.

The gross award went to student Chris Watt with an effort of 36 gross points. This three handicapper played both nines in level par. He engineered birdies on holes three and four but bogeys followed on holes five and seven. Pars were posted on the rest of the outward nine. On the back nine he began with a birdie on the tenth but negated it with a bogey on the thirteenth. He closed out the nine with par figures.

In the low section where 13 golfers had red figures, Damian Murphy topped the list with 38 points. This five handicapper had a variety of scores on the outward nine ranging from birdies on holes one and nine to a no-return on the fifth. However he played very solidly on the back nine to cover it in level par. Birdies at holes ten and eighteen cancelled out bogeys on holes eleven and fourteen. Pars on the other five holes helped him over the line.

In the middle section four golfers managed under par returns. A tally of 38 points earned fourteen handicapper Colin Robb the divisional prize. A quartet of pars at holes four, six, eight and nine gave him an edge on the outward nine. On the journey home a birdie at the fifteenth and pars at holes ten and thirteen were his exemplary scores.

Finally in the high section no players managed an under par return. However Norris Thompson took the spoils with a tidy effort of 35 points. This twenty handicapper had some difficulty on the front nine but countered well on the back nine with some tidy play. On the day a run of pars at holes two, ten, eleven, twelve and seventeen were the highlights of his winning round. Six double bogeys and a triple bogey on his card didn’t do him any favours.

The other under par returns were registered by the following:

38 pts: Andrew Carville.

37 pts: Morris Lyness, Niall Hoy, Jason McCann, Conall Coleman, Brian Clarke, Jim Kennedy, Michael Bingham.