Tommy Barlow Trophy 3rd July 2021

Nathan Butterworth (36/41/77/11/66)

‘Nate Butty’ has won his 6th Board Competition of his Alty career by strolling to a dominant 5 stroke victory today . The only player to beat his handicap in the field , Nate started magnificently by net eagling the devilishly difficult opening hole and also he was to drop a shot on 3 he immediately regrouped by parring his last 6 holes to the turn , posting a sublime gross 36 which also included net birdies on 4,5 and 7 as he got to the turn at -4 . Unbelievably that was not enough to give him the 9 hole lead as Dave Roy Terris was one stroke ahead . Today the vast majority of members found the back 9 to be a real test and after parring 10 and 11 to regulation Nate dropped a shot on 12 but nevertheless found himself now leading by a stroke as Terris faded . He played the Amen Corner holes well , a net birdie 3 on 13 followed by regulation bogeys on 14 and 15 , scores that saw his lead increase to 4 with just the ‘Championship holes’ to play . Nate played 16 to regulation then further stamped his authority on the competition by a net birdie 4 on 17 and after playing the final hole to handicap recorded a magnificent net 66 which made him the victor by 5 strokes . His WHS rating was reduced by 0.6 to a new mark of 9.2 .

Keith Walton Sr. (44/41/85/14/71)

Keith has been gracing our club for decades and he won his first Board Competition (Old Hall) back in 2000 and had won this very event 20 years before  . He is known for his consistent performances , hasn’t had silverware since 2017 but has had an indifferent start to the season and had started to post scores nearer to his handicap thus must have stood on the first tee in confident mood . He started poorly , dropping a shot on 1 and 3 before consecutive net birdies on 4 and 5 got him back to parity . Unfortunately he succumbed shots on 7 and 9 to get to the turn at +2 , 7 strokes away from the lead and in mid-division . He immediately set about climbing up the leaderboard and brilliantly parred holes 10-12 thus gaining 2 shots and again getting back to parity . He consolidated that momentum by negotiating the Amen Corner holes in regulation which left him one of 4 players 4 strokes away with the Championship holes left to play . Could he close the gap to reclaim the trophy 20 years after he first won it ? Walton Sr parred the 16th in regulation but moved to -1 after crucially net birdieing 17 … sadly , he dropped a shot at the final hole to finish 5 strokes back but his superb 2 under back 9 left him at level par and a fantastic 2nd place finish … his WHS rating remained unchanged .

Chris O’Connell (40/40/80/9/71)

• Mr O’Connell has been the undoubted star of this season as he continues to improve and slash his handicap to boot . Now reduced to just a 9 handicap , he started poorly with dropped shots on 1 and 3 but he regrouped well , claiming net birdies on 4 and 6 with only the irritating reverse on 8 getting him to the turn at +1 , 6 strokes off the lead . Inexplicably Chris dropped two strokes to handicap on the benign 10th hole but again he fought back with sparkling golf , a flawless 5 holes highlighted by gains on both par 5s … but how would the hotshot fare on the Championship holes ? An inexplicably poor net bogey 4 was followed by a superb net eagle 3 on 17 getting him back to level par and he played 18 to regulation to finish in 3rd place on countback due to his 1-under back 9 . His WHS handicap was reduced from 7.6 to a new mark of 7.1 , having ended last season at 13.7 showing the true measure of his improvement ! 

Bernie Wood (43/43/86/15/71)

After recently suffering the heartache of a countback defeat to your scribe in the Wilson’s pairs to deny him a first win since 2017 , legendary Hall of Famer  Bernie Wood was in good form and he must have been hopeful of a good performance today . Bernie performed exceptionally on the tricky opening trio of holes , his net birdies on 1 and 2 helping him to second place as he stood on the 4th hole … sadly a net bogey 4th was compounded by a net DB on 5 as he rolled down that leaderboard and he finished his front 9 frustrated as his consecutive net birdies on 7 and 8 were spliced with careless reverses on the much easier 6th and 9th holes 6 strokes back on +1 .His back 9 was less error-strewn highlighted by gains on 12,14 and 18 which combined with his bogeys on 11 and 13 meant a level par finish and an excellent fourth placed finish .

Special Mentions …

Nick Alderson (45/45/90/19/71)

Nick is one of most cerebral players , whose course management skills historically have regularly put him into contention . He has limited his appearances this season but after initially putting in a couple of poor performances he has returned to his usual standards and today he has equalled his lowest score of the season . Nick started superbly with a net birdie on the dangerous opening hole but he was to surrender that gain on 3 otherwise playing to handicap until standing on the 6th tee handily placed on level par he succumbed to a net DB 7 then compounded that error with another reverse on 7 to send him tumbling down the leaderboard on +3 . Typically , Nick regrouped superbly with consecutive net birdies to get him to the turn at +1 , 5 strokes off the lead . He consolidated his momentum to play 10 to regulation but then to get under par courtesy of consecutive net birdies on 11 and 12 . His rollercoaster round continued with reverses on 13 ,14 countered with net birdies on the first two ‘Championship holes’ to get within 4 strokes of the lead but a sloppy net bogey on 18 left him at level par but a credible 5th place … his efforts have caused his WHS handicap to reduce by 0.4 to 15.4.

Ian Cheetham (51/52/103/32/71)

The person affectionally known as ‘Cheets’ works harder than the vast majority of members on his game with little reward . Today has been one of his better days but he started with a rollercoaster front 9 , a net par on the tricky opening hole offset by the horror of two 8s on 2 and 3 which translated to a drop of 3 strokes to handicap but was then flawless to the turn highlighted by superb net birdies on 4,5,6 and 9 to find himself at level par just 4 strokes away . His back 9 was largely encouraging but after a net birdie on 10 frustratingly followed by a careless net bogey on 11 which he then compounded by a net DB 9 on 12 to send him down the leaderboard . Ian regrouped , playing Amen Corner well and even recorded back to back net birdies on 14 and 15 to move to within 4 strokes of the lead with just the ‘Championship holes ‘ to be played . Unfortunately ‘Cheets’ had a regulation 16, net bogey 17 but net birdie 18 to finish in 6th position . His WHS handicap has been reduced by 0.5 to a new mark of 26.6 .

Jason Denton (37/41/78/7/71)

Trafford Leisures’ very own Jason Denton is actively trying to enhance his considerable golfing talents and he played very well today , a gross 37 front 9 was highlighted by net birdies on 2,4 ( gross birdie) and 7 with his only reverses a sloppy net double bogey on 3 and another dropped shot on 6 .His back 9 was less impressive with another DB on 13 with further reverses on 10and 18 offset partly by net birdies on 12 and 17 … nevertheless , an encouraging display and 7th place finish .

David Roy Terris (36/49/85/12/73)

DR ( the doctor) Terris , who had won this trophy in 2028 ( succeeding your scribe )  produced an extraordinary front 9 to destroy that part of our beloved course . plundering no less than 3 net eagles ( 2,3,7) and birdie on 6 with his only reverse a net DB on 4 and he topped the leaderboard at the turn .But could he maintain momentum on his back 9 ? Unfortunately not , as the doctor could not control the course on the journey home and dropped shots on 10 (DB) , 12, 14 (DB) and 16 to slither down the field finishing in 14th. position .

Gross Watch …

The trophy-winner Nathan Butterworth went round the course in 77 strokes which was ‘best in show’ today … much respect to him .

Defending Champion Watch …

John Wilks , who won the trophy last year , sadly was not here to defend the trophy .

Overall , a day where just one member stood between the course showing total dominance as he was the only one to beat his handicap . Today it was the back 9 that was tougher for members as the vast majority of us toiled in the arm conditions . 

A day where ‘Butty’ sandwiched himself alone against the field in producing a sub-par round as the rest of us had little answer to its current ‘tough but fair’ setup .

A day where one former Tommy Barlow produced a front 9 masterclass but couldn’t sustain whilst another former winner who lifted the trophy 20 years ago was only bested by one individual to prevent him gaining a stunning victory in the warm , benign conditions .