Tommy Barlow Trophy 6th July 2019

Tommy Barlow Trophy 6th July 2019

Tommy Barlow Contenders

Nick Lewis has captured the second Board Competition of his Alty career by coming through the field to net birdie the final hole to lead for the first time and overcome Messrs Savage , Kay and Gayle who all fell just one shot short of glory .

Lewis has the ability to hit a long ball without having to use a driver but today he made a slow start and reverses on both 2 and 3 put him back to +2  but net birdie 4s on 6,8 and 9 made him 1 under at the turn 4 shots off the pace . His back 9 was blemish-free with the highlight a magnificent net eagle 5 on 12 with further gains on 14,17 and crucially on 18 which left him on top despite never even having a share of the lead up to that point ... a fantastic effort and deserved victory . The handicapper duly cut him 1.5 to a new mark of 20.1. 

Michael Savage is a new member who has quickly alerted the attention of his peers for his long-hitting .The usually beshorted ball-striker got into rhythm quickly and gained shots on 2 and 3 to immediately take closer order . Further gains on 7 and 8 were offset by unexpected losses on the benign 6th and 9th holes to put him 2 under at the turn and on the fringes of contention .His back 9 started well with gains on 10 and 13 taking him briefly to the lead but a crucial drop on 14 stalled his momentum and he played the next three holes to handicap to stand 2 shots back with a final hole net birdie leaving him one behind the winner but earning him an encouraging second place . The handicapper was also impressed cutting his hcp by 0.9 to 13.1

Bob Kay successfully captained the club last year and he has a reputation as one of our most consistent players ... he tends to hit the ball in a lower trajectory than most and manages to get a high standard of accuracy . Today his front 9 was steady rather than spectacular with 3 gains on 3,7 and 8 with an irritating dropped shot on the relatively benign 9th to reach the turn at 2 under 3 off the lead . Kay immediately took closer order virtue of a net eagle 3 on 10 and lapses by those around him meant that he took the lead as he stood on the 13th tee ! This hole does not suit the maestro yet he crucially gained a shot to go to -5 and take control of the competition. From the 14th to 17th hole he played to handicap thus stood on the final hole with a one shot lead aiming to win the fourth Board Competition of his career . Sadly it was not to be as he took six shots to drop to -4 and a third place finish . The handicapper acknowledged his superb play by reducing his handicap by 0.9 to 12.6 .

Alan Gayle is a relatively recent recruit to our competitions after previously playing at our now closed sister course William Wroe ... he has a reputation of having the ability to play much better than his current handicap but thus far has not done it at Board Competition level . Today he has demonstrated his abilities to the full and after 7 holes had already got himself to -5 highlighted by a superb net albatross 3 on 2nd with further consecutive gains on 5,6 and 7 ... a careless net bogey on 9 was an irritation but it still left him joint top at the turn .A steady start to his back 9 playing 10 and 11 to hcp kept him at the summit but everything went wrong on the tough 12th where his game dissolved and he dropped 4 shots to hcp as he shot ELEVEN to tumble down the leaderboard . He refused to capitulate further and gained shots on 14,15 and 16 to stand on the final tee just a shot down . Frustratingly he played it to hcp to finish in a close fourth and with the sure knowledge that over 17 of the 18 holes he was 8 under but was cruelly undone by our toughest hole . The handicapper did not miss his efforts and cut him 2 full shots to a new mark of 23.0 !

8th placed Sash Neersoo (80/9/71) and 5th placed Andy Miehe ( 80/11/69 ) were both docked 0.2 by the handicapper to put them down to new marks of 8.6 and 10.7 respectively for their solid rounds today . 

Special mentions ...

Ian Cheetham (101/25/76) has had an inconsistent start to the season excepting his fine second placed finish in the Diggle where he started slowly and regrouped as the day continued. Today he absolutely dispelled any fears about starting well with a simply incredible first 7 holes where he plundered net birdies on 1,2,3,4 and net eagles on 6 and 7 to top the leaderboard on -8 . He dropped 3 shots on 8 but still finished the front 9 at -5 and holding the lead with fellow 25 handicapper Alan Gayle . Where AGs round was destroyed by one single poor hole ‘Cheets’ back 9 was a sea of purple with net bogeys on 11,12 and 14 ,  net double bogeys on 13 and 17 with the horror of a net triple bogey 10 on the 15th.. A tortuous 11 holes after such a stunning start for one of the clubs most affable characters with a final placing of 35th.

Matt Goodall (84/9/75) is one of the clubs most swashbuckling players and when he started his round with a net triple bogey 8 and found himself 7 over his handicap after just  4 holes he must have thrown caution to the wind . He registered no less than 4 birdies on 5,7,8 and 18 and finished 25th for his efforts .

Best Gross ...

Alty treasure Bernie Wood (79/9/70) continued his renaissance with the lowest gross round of the day ! Bravo to him !

Defending Champion watch ...

DR (David Roy) Terris (86/11/75) never got in a position to challenge and finished in 30th place with his highlight a net eagle on the 4th hole ...