Page 29 - RCGC Mag

FINALLY THE MAIL ON SUNDAY DROPPED OUT OF RUNNING THEIR
COMPETITION BUT THE EVENT WAS TAKEN OVER BY ANNODATA. UNDER THE
LEADERSHIP OF JAMES HAWLEY THE ROWLANDS CASTLE TEAM HAVE
QUALIFIED FOR THE FINALS WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE IN SPAIN IN LATE
NOVEMBER

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP THE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP GOT UNDER WAY IN LATE
JUNE WITHN THE COURSE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND THE GREENS
RUNNING AT A CHALLENGING SPEED. BOTH THE SCRATCH AND HANDICAP
EVENTS SAW A REDUCTION IN NUMBERS FROM 2016 WITH JUST UNDER 90
PLAYERS IN TOTAL. THE FIRST ROUND FOR THE HANDICAP PRIZE BEGAN AT
7.30 AM WITH THE SCRATCH ENTRANTS GOING OUT FIRST IN ORDER TO HAVE
TIME FOR LUNCH AND THE SECOND 18 HOLES. OPEN TO ALL ENTRANTS THE
RON EDWARDS TROPHY WAS ON OFFER FOR THE BEST NET SCORE. ON
COMPLETION OF THIS ELEMENT THREE OF THE TOP SIX NET SCORES WOULD
BE GOING OUT AGAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. NIGEL JURD, MICHAEL POTTS
AND MIKE DENTON ALL HAD SCORES OF 73 NET WHILST MARK WILLIAMS
WENT TWO BETTER WITH A NET 71. HOWEVER, OUT ON HIS OWN WITH A NET
68 AND WINNING EMULATING HIS SON IN 2016 IS THIS YEARS WINNER NICK
GRACE. NICK SEND HIS APOLOGIES ONLY HE IS BEING DINED OUT OF THE
ROYAL MARINES AS HE ENDS HIS CAREER A DIRECTOR OF MUSIC.
THIRTY-THREE PLAYERS RETURNED FOR THE SECOND ROUND WITH THEIR
EYS ON A SCRATCH 36 HOLE SCORE THAT WOULD CROWN THEM AS CLUB
CHAMPION. WITH ONLY 5 SUB 80 GROSS ROUNDS IN THE MORNING IT WAS TO
BECOME A THREE HORSE RACE. AS THE AFTERNOON WENT ON THIS
REMAINED THE CASE UNTIL THE FINAL THREESOME REACHED THE BACK SIX
HOLES WHERE A DOUBLE BOGEY AT 13 MADE JAMES HAWLEY’s TASK EVEN
HARDER. AS A RESULT HE FINISHED WITH A 77 IN THE AFTERNOON TO MATCH
HIS MORNING ROUND AND A 154 GROSS TOTAL AND THIRD PLACE. MICHAEL
POTTS WAS MATCHING HIS OTHER PLAYING PARTNER AND ALSO ENDED BY
MATCHING HIS MORNING ROUND FOR A TOTAL OF 152 AND SECOND PLACE.
HAVING ALSO SCORED A GROSS 76 IN THE AFTERNOON A MORNING 74 MEANT
THAT A TOTAL OF 150 WOULD WIN THIS YEARS EVENT. FIVE YEARS AFTER HE
LAST WON AND FOR THE THIRD TIME YOUR CLUB CHAMPION IS MARK
WILLIAMS.