Club champs for 2023 crowned

Our 2023 club champs have been found on a day that mix drama with some damn fine golf.

Conditions were ideal on Saturday for the 36-hole marathon that demands endurance and concentration just as much as ability.

James Campion brought his A game to the senior final against a hapless Dean Goodman. In an awesome display of power and precision, James produced his best score off the blue tees to blow away his rival 11/9.

A sublime 69 off the stick for the opening 18 holes - which could have been even better but for some near misses on the greens - had him seven up and while Dean rallied briefly it was all over by the 27th hole.

James started emphatically by birdieing the par-five first. Pars at the next two holes had him three-up early against a shell-shocked rival. A birdie two at No 5 and a regulation par at the downhill No 6 saw him streak to five ahead. Dean responded with a gutsy birdie at No 7 to reduce the margin to four at the turn.

There was no let up though as James drove the par-five 10th in two to set up another birdie to restore his cushion and he took a stranglehold by winning the next three holes with two pars and a birdie on the uphill No 13. They halved the next five holes in pars as Dean - who played to his handicap with a 80 - battled hard against the inevitable.

Dean finally won another hole after James's first bogey of the day at No 19, but the second qualifier dropped only two more shots to par to coast to victory as the blitzkrieg finally wore Dean down.

It was much closer in the intermediate final which pitted long-hitting Bryce Vincent against leftie Neil McLaren. Bryce gifted Neil the opening hole after driving it into the river but won the second with a birdie two only to lose the third after straying. However, he shrugged it off to win the next three holes by going bogey-par-bogey to open up a two-hole lead which remained until the 10th which Neil won with a bogey. But pars on No 11 and 12 saw Bryce extend the margin to three. A lost ball cost Bryce No 15 but he got it back with a par on No 17 before Neil again cut it to 2-up with a bogey on No 18.

There was more back and forth early in the third nine before Neil drew level by taking No 5 and 6 after Bryce made a mess of them. A double-bogey at the tricky No 9 across the river saw Bryce edge ahead. They swapped No 12 and 13 and shared the next two. However, a couple of muffed chips on No 16 and 17 cost Neil dearly as Bryce secured a hard fought 2/1 victory.

The Junior A final went down to the 36th hole before Brendan Doyle sunk his short putt after Ian Hanford missed his to end what had been a mighty come-back and titanic battle.

In a match of high quality, both men played to and under their handicaps for the entire contest. After sharing the opening two holes, Brendan got the jump on the long No 3 with a bogey and then extended his  lead with another bogey on No 6. Ian got one back on No 8 but immediately gave it back on No 9 to go to the turn 2-down. He was soon four down as Brendon took No 10 and 11 with pars before the big man conceded No 12. He soon found his groove again to win No 15-17 with pars to zoom out to six ahead which Ian cut to five with a crucial win at No 18. That started a stirring recovery which saw Ian win four of the next seven holes with some steely golf.  

After swapping No 8 and 9, they started the final nine with Brendon just 1-up which grew after a par on no 11 but was trimmed after Brendan bombed No 12. A fine par on No 13 again drew Ian level and they halved the next three as nerves started to jangle. It all came down to the last hole but Ian missed his bogey putt while Brendon bagged his for the championship. 

Warren Carey and Michael Savage battled it out for Junior B honours in a match played over 18 holes on a sunny Thursday which saw Wazza complete a 2/1 victory and a trifecta of titles.

Like many golfers, Warren Carey plays best when he is relaxed. And he was a picture of calm – at least on the outside - before they started off the 10th hole.

He didn't appear too fazed when Mike - who was playing in his first final and was top qualifier - won the opening two holes with bogies and had reduced the margin to just one on their fourth hole. Pars on No 16 and 17 inched him ahead but Mike parred the testing No 18 to level it up. Wazza won No 1 with a bogey but lost the next before going behind again to a bogey at No 4. However, he regrouped and made the defining break by taking the next three with fives to get it to dormie. A half with a bogey at No 8 was enough to give him his third championship after previously taking the Junior B cup in 2019 and a Junior A cup in 2021.

Congratulations to our winners and commiserations to the runners-up.