T. Lyle Rea wins the Teddy Reade Cup

T. K. Lyle Rea has played for the last season and a half every Saturday with Joe Glass and Joe Thompson, two of the most experienced golfers in the Banbridge Golf Club.

He certainly has learnt a lot from them both about shot selection and course management and it paid off last Saturday.

Lyle defeated over 180 other golfers to win the prestigious Teddy Reade Cup with a wonderful score of 42 stableford points.

And it could have been so much better as Lyle, playing off a 23 handicap, dropped no less than eight shots over the last five holes. Maybe that’s the one remaining lesson that Lyle has to learn, how to control his nerves over the finishing stretch.

Nevertheless, on the day, Lyle’s score was good enough to win so it’s congratulations to him.

Eamon McAnarney (14) was runner-up with 41 points, beating two other players on countback. Eamon, with birdies at 7 and 16, went round in 78 gross, which was mighty impressive.

Cathal McNiff (13) thankfully is back to his best form and he took third place with 41 points. He came to grief slightly at the par five 14th hole, taking a double bogey. That mishap cost Cathal victory.

Young Josh Lockhart (6) is showing some early season form. He played the 18 holes in a gross 70, only one over par. That gave him 41 points and fourth place.

Rory Leonard (+1) was the only player to beat Josh Lockhart’s gross score. Rory went round in level par 69 and he picked up his first best gross prize of the season. There will be plenty more best gross prizes for Rory, you can count on that.

Conor Campbell (6), Richard Coburn (21), Derek Crory (13), Bill McCandless (6) and Walter Smyth (15) all had 40 points. I’m sure each of them knows where they could have saved a shot or two and possibly won the Teddy Reade Cup. That’s golf for you.

Nine players had 39 points and the list included the winner of the best senior prize. I bet you cannot spot him.

The nine players were Danny O’Boyle (13), Seamus Rooney (7), Norman Doak (19), Paul Magennis (5), Rory Madeley (4), Alex Clarke (14), Patrick McCambridge (23), Robert Haire (18) and Dean Corry (24).

How many of you said the best senior player was Seamus Rooney? Not too many, I would suspect.. That’s who it was and I am just as surprised as you. Well done, Seamus! You will certainly be a force to reckon with in the senior section.

The calculated standard scratch score was nett 67 or 38 points. This was equalled by Peter Weir (16), Eugene Weir (5), Joe McConville (21), Damian Weir (5), Aaron Buchanan (20), Lee Willdridge (18), Brian Mulholland (10) and Kieran McGreevey (21).

At the end of the day, the man taking all the plaudits was T. K. Lyle Rea Junior and deservedly so.

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