Neill lifts Woods Cup
FOUR over par after just three holes, 7-handicapper Neil Linton all but abandoned hopes of winning the Woods Cup, one of three gross prizes up for grabs on Saturday at County Armagh Golf Club.
He dropped a further two at the 5th and 16th holes, but birdies at the 12th and 18th compensated for those losses and his gross 74 was enough to lift the coveted trophy.
Indeed it was his better back nine which earned him the prize ahead of six-handicapper Andrew Millar who returned a similar gross 74. Andrew's 2-over par front nine and similar 2-over par back nine which he finshed with a double bogey six, were however, still enough to secure him runner's up prize on the day.
Mark Frazer will have his name engraved on the Webster Cup after producing a winning gross 78 score. The 11 handicapper birdied the second hole but back-to-back double boegeys at the next two holes, plus a further shot dropped at the 9th, saw him six over at the turn. A birdie three at the 14th hole compensated for another dropped shot at the 10th, before he dropped a further two shots at 16 and 17. His 2-over par back nine however, proved the difference in countback when 17-handicapper Mark Stevenson rolled up with with a similar gross 78. He was just 3 over after nine holes and although bogeyed each of the last three holes, was fully deserving of his runners up prize in the competition for 10-18 handicappers. 14-handicapper Jack Jackson produced the best Nett Score 66 in the category.
Big-hitting Christopher Stockdale meanwhile, a 20-handicapper, was winning the Connolly Cup with a gross 87. The competition for the 19-28 handicappers was also decided on countback, another Killylea man, Gary Baird, losing out on this occasion after producing a similar gross 87. Joe McKenna's nett 68 was the best nett score in the category.
And Conor McGurgan (2) returned the prizes to win the 0-5 handicap category with a superb one under par front nine and similar one under par back nine for a gross 68.