JFord Club Championship R1 Gross 24th August 2019

JFord Club Championship Round One 24th August 2019

Defending champion Glen Rothwell leads by two strokes after a steady but unspectacular birdieless round where conditions were sunny with a light variable breeze ... Rothwell went out early and finished the front 9 at 2 over but faltered at the turn and dropped 4 more shots over the next 3 holes before parring in to finish on 77 , leaving him vulnerable to challenges from his nearest rivals but still in pole position to retain his Champion status . 

Danny Miller ranks second only to the great James West in terms of the number of Board comps won but this slightly built and fiercely competitive sexagenerian has never won the ultimate Alty prize . This year he started superbly with a birdie but tragically followed that with a triple on 2 ...further disappointment followed with 5 more shots dropped which left him 6 shots off the pace at the turn ... he regrouped to drop just one shot overall on his back 9 highlighted with a birdie on the tricky 13th and his 37 was ‘best in show’ ... in his long career at Alty he has rarely been in such a challenging position to add the Club Championship to his impressive victories .

Alty GC Sales manager Glyn Richards can look back on a golfing career which included a spell in the professional ranks ... long retired but operating now off a 4 handicap it was no surprise to see him top the leaderboard at the front 9 with a superb 36 with the highlight a birdie on 5 . Sadly Glyn was to drop his lofty standards on the back 9 , losing 7 shots to the course with a triple bogey on 15 a particular low point . That said he is handily placed just 2 shots back and can lean on his former professional life to try to add this prestigious title to past glories .

These three powerhouses effectively have the Championship between them but special mentions go to a trio of our low handicap golfers who are six shots behind the leader ...

Andy Miehe has a reputation as a solid ball-striker but these skills weren’t in evidence as he laboured to the turn dropping 8 shots including 3 double bogeys ... he regrouped well and found himself still at 8 over as he stood on the 16th tee after a promising start to his back 9 with the highlight a birdie on 11 . He was on course to be right in the mix before dropping 4 more shots on the final 3 holes to leave him on 83 .

Sash Naersoos’ return ‘home’ after a few years away at neighbouring Sale GC has been a bonus for the club and he has played well today ... on his front 9 today the highlight of 4 pars was tempered with a spell on holes 2-6 where he dropped 7 shots . He started his back 9 magnificently with 5 consecutive pars taking him closer to the leaders and a double bogey on 15 was immediately addressed with a great birdie 2 on 16 . Sadly he was to drop 4 shots on his final two holes with his triple bogey on the last effectively robbing him of a chance of glory tomorrow .

Norman Crowther will go down as one of Alty GCs most popular Captains and he has occasionally flirted with contention for the Club Championship . Today he began magnificently with 8 pars on the front 9 with only a double on 5 to deny him . His gross 37 left his only one behind the leader at the turn ... his back 9 sadly failed to maintain his momentum and although he did manage to take his par count to 11 he suffered a crippling quad bogey 9 on the difficult 12th and dropped 5 further shots on the closing 4 holes ... 6 shots back is probably going to be too far back to trouble the leading trio but a fine effort nevertheless .

Overall a war of attrition for many of us given that we all played the course from its maximum length .More fun awaits tomorrow to those of us playing the full 36 holes !

All of the main contenders are confirmed on the startsheet so I’m sure it will be an absorbing day tomorrow .