County Armagh Golf Club was a hive of activity on 6 May as a season-high 188 golfers swarmed to the course to contest the Bumblebee Cup, sponsored by the city's Victoria Bar.
The bee's knees in this stroke competition was Christopher Lester, who had every reason to wax lyrical about a stunning nett 62 that saw him grab the Saturday glory.
Lester was no doubt buzzing as he registered pars at the 2nd, 5th and 7th on his way to a halfway tally of 41 strokes, which four under his handicap. No one would have blamed Christopher, though, had his mood turned decidedly waspish after back-to-back bogeys at the 10th and 11th checked his progress and threatened to put a bee in his prizewinning bonnet.
However, there was to be no nasty sting in the tail as Lester rallied brilliantly thereafter, posting three pars in the remaining seven holes, including a nerveless four at the last. His birdie at the 14th was as sweet as honey and represented the ultimate highlight of a tremendous day's work. A worthy recipient of the Bumblebee Cup, Christopher's handicap has been slashed from 22 to 19, and one can predict with some confidence that that number will tumble further as the year progresses.
Christopher Lester receives the Bumblebee Cup from Nicky Currie, proprietor of Victoria Bar, Armagh. Also pictured are Club Captain Richard Stewart and Shea Smyth, competition runner-up.
A sensational four-under-par back nine helped Shea Smyth to a nett 65 that handed him the runner-up prize. Smyth's momentum-puncturing bogeys at the 4th, 5th and 9th were more than ameliorated by 10 pars and a magnificent nap hand of birdies at the 1st, 10th, 12th, 16th and 18th. Given that four of those holes are among the course's six lowest indices, he certainly can't be dismissed as a mere flat-track bully. This fabulous gross 68 confers on Shea a two-handicapper status that he'll be keen to consolidate through further impressive showings.
Just as it was for Smyth, a superb back nine was key to the success of John Lavery, whose nett 66 secured him the category 1 top spot. Such an outcome didn't seem likely early on as John, playing off 10, dropped five shots in the opening seven holes. However, a birdie at the par-5 8th sparked Lavery into life and provided the platform for his excellent one-over-par homeward trek and ultimate gross 76.
Second to John was Philip Kelly, whose scintillating gross 68 matched that of Shea. A bogey at the 4th and a double bogey at the 10th were the only blemishes on a classy Kelly scorecard that also boasted five birdies at the 2nd, 6th, 8th, 15th and 17th.
The category 2 plaudits were taken by Andrew Currie, who sealed a podium finish in the event supported by his family's pub with an exquisite nett 65 that was edged out of the overall reckoning only by Shea Smyth's superior back nine. Currie's accomplished round, which contained eight pars but also costly double bogeys at the 9th and 18th, ensures a 17-to-15 clip to his handicap wings for upcoming tournaments. A birdie two at the Quarry and pars at the 2nd, 10th, 13th and 14th guided Terry Chin to solid nett 69 and second position here.