Bernie Wood Trophy 20th July 2019

Bernie Wood Trophy 20th. July 2019

Bernie Wood Trophy contenders

Norman Crowther (21/22/43) has won his first Board Comp for three years and the fifth of his Alty career with a great display in the Bernie Wood Trophy . Crowther dispelled the extra difficulties of the lower handicapper in Stableford events by producing a front 9 where he garnished 21 points with a superb gross 36 with 3 pointers on 2,4,5 and 7 with his only reverse a 1 pointer on 3 ... just one point off the lead at the turn , Norman maintained form by 3-pointing 4 of the next 6 holes to get to 37 points as he stood on the 16th tee now leading the competition with just 3 holes to go. Once again he stumbled on a par 3 to gain just one point and to go a point behind . Crucially he regrouped to 3 point 17 and regain the lead as others faltered then to play 18 in regulation to finish on 43 points for a two point victory . His gross 73 was the best recorded summer score of his career .

John Hogan (21/20/41) clearly revels in his gruff no-nonsense persona and his single-minded attitude to golf has reaped success with him rightly placed in the higher echelon of excellence  at Alty with a tremendous total of 17 Board Comps ... after his 9th pairs victory courtesy of this years Wilson , Hogan eyed up the possibility of taking his 9th individual comp 6 years after his  most recent W in the 2013 Gellatly . He started steadily and matched Crowther with a 21 point front 9 that included a trio of 3-pointers ( highlighted by his birdie on 8 ) and with no reverses at all . His back 9 saw him succumb to a single pointer on 10 but then to immediately recover from that setback with a magnificent run of 4 consecutive 3-pointers on holes 11-14 that catapulted him to a share of the lead with just 4 holes to go . Sadly a below par 7 point finishing salvo with an inexplicable 1 point return on the benign 16th. left him two points short and a second place finish .
 

Luke Dunlop (22/19/41) has been one of the most promising  of our new members and  the likeable confident 20 handicapper was playing only his second competition after an encouraging 18th placed finish in the Gellatly 6 weeks earlier . He had been reported to have spent many hours on the driving range and it was clear that he had clearly benefitted from those efforts given his display today . He started steadily ( curiously none of the top 12 got more than 2 points on the tricky opening hole ) playing the opening trio of holes in regulation but a stunning next 6 holes which included 3-pointers on 4,5,7 and 9 took him to the very top of the leaderboard on 22 points . His next 6 holes consolidated his position with 3-pointers on 11 and 13 (but managing to score at least 2 points per hole) but meant that he had forfeited the lead but was still in contention. A crucial 3-pointer on the benign 16th saw him regain that lead but an inexplicable blob on 17 (just when he had retaken a firm grip on the competition) left him two points behind and a regulation 2-pointer at the last left him two points short and a third place finish .

Johnny Boardman (19/20/39) would fit the definition of a ‘cheeky chappie’ and this happy go lucky character has graced our beloved course for a few years now ... golfing-wise in the shadow of multi-Board Comp winning ex captain brother Gordon , Johnny has shown that he is capable of playing better than his handicap on occasion . Today , playing off 22 handicap he had a steady rather than spectacular front 9 with just two 3-pointers on 3 and 5 and his only real reverse a double bogey on 8 which left him blob-free but with a 19 point haul that was 3 off the lead . He maintained consistency and achieved 3-pointers on 10,14,16 and 18 with just two 1 point reverses on the two  par 5s that both caused him problems today given that he is one of the shorter hitters off the tee . His strong finish enabled him to finish 4 shots behind and a very credible 4th place in the competition of one of his best chums at the club !

Special mentions ...

Bernie Wood (19/19/38) was very proud when the club decided to reward his longevity and depth of his long-standing Committee involvement by naming a trophy in his honour . Today Mr Alty GC made a great effort to win his own trophy . A sluggish 5 point start at the opening trio of holes was remedied by a superb 4 point birdie 3 on 4 ... sadly another 5 point haul from the next 3 holes was partially rescued by a second birdie on 8 that added 3 points and helped to get him 3 points away from the leader at the turn and undeniably in contention . A 14 point haul from his next holes ( highlighted by 3-pointers on both par 5s ) meant that he was 4 off the pace and in need of a big finish to fight for the trophy  . Sadly it was not to be as he again put together a paltry 5 points from his final trio of holes to finish in fifth place  but credit is due  to the great man for making such a strong challenge given the obvious distractions of playing in your own competition . 

Bill Stopford (12/23/35) played poorly in his front 5 holes today blobbing 3 of them and picking up only 4 points thus undoubtedly giving one of our most ‘heart on sleeve’ competitors a chance to properly vent his spleen and give in to the demons of a ‘bad day at the office’ which we all endure on occasion giving him the unquestionable right to effectively have a 13 hole golfing pity party . But did the President of our club follow that well trodden path ? Absolutely not ! He began to regroup by achieving a regulation 8 points on the four holes left to the turn to reach 12 points ... he built on this by scoring a magnificent gross 38 back 9 which equated to playing 5 under his handicap ! In Stableford terms his 23 points was the ‘best in show’ back 9 of the 49 strong field and included 3-pointers on 10,14,15,17 and 18 to remind ALL of us that a poor start need not be the prelude to a poor round and in this case his 35 points gave him a 10th place finish ! Bravo sir !
 

Defending Champion watch ...

Legendary 30-time Board Comp winner Danny Miller would have loved to equal all-time best total of his great friend and rival James West by defending the trophy today . Sadly it was just not meant to be . He started competitively with 3-pointers achieved courtesy of a par on 2 and birdie on 4 ... Regulation play on 4 of the last 5 holes to the turn and an unfortunate blob on 7 meant a respectable 18 point haul at the turn just 4 off the lead .His back 9 saw him collect a measly 13 points with the highlight a second birdie 3 on 11 to finish with 31 points and in 31st. place . 

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