The modest Sunday Club Stableford and Club Stroke competitions provide the unheralded spine of the County Armagh Golf Club fixture list, and two more such events were contested on 21 July and 18 August.
In the first of those, Patsy Hegarty emerged victorious on account of a brilliant 40-point haul. Hegarty parred everything on the front nine apart from the 4th and 5th, where respectable bogeys sustained his early momentum. That all meant a hefty 22 points in the halfway bank, and 18 more would follow on a homeward nine that included a birdie at Ballyheridan.
Patsy had his handicap clipped to 10 as a result of his accomplished gross 77, and next to him in the overall pecking order was runner-up, Brian Digby. Having triumphed in category 1 24 hours previously, Brian was on the podium once again courtesy of a high-quality 39-point effort that contained three pars to start, two pars to finish and a couple of birdies in between.
Oliver Connell enjoyed pre-eminence in category 1, where his pleasing 38-point scorecard showed eight pars and a birdie and nudged him ahead of Derick Hynes, whose ding at the 4th was the solitary blot on an otherwise impressive stableford copybook.
Such steadiness was also the order of the day in categories 2 and 3, where all four prizes were claimed with 37 points. In the 13-18 bracket, Anthony Hillen’s classy one-under-par spell from the 11th to 15th was decisive in fending off the challenge of second-placed Tomas McElmeel, who reacted well to a double-bogey at the 10th by posting a birdie at the 11th and four more pars on the way home.
And battle of the venerable Gerrys in category 3 saw Kelly pip Doyle to the top honours after assured, standard scratch-equalling displays from the pair. Shea Smyth’s 32 gross points, meanwhile, were sufficient to earn him the gross award.
Four weeks later on 18 August, a stiff breeze and sodden course led to even more conservative scoring. On this occasion, the best performer in a 102-man field was President’s Day champion, Rory Smyth, whose handicap continues its speedy downward trajectory and now stands at 10.
The in-form Keady player maintained his ‘man of the moment’ kudos largely through a superb two-over-par back nine as, ultimately, that was the determining factor in his defeat of Chris Lester, the overall runner-up.
Lester’s skilful 81-shot knock produced the lows of five dropped shots at the 4th and 5th but, much more characteristically of the Killylea contender, also the highs of birdies at the 2nd and 12th and half a dozen pars.
Another break of tie was needed in category 2, where Ian Beaddie and Michael Cullen both declared on nett 69 and were sorted into first and second positions respectively. Beaddie was as consistent as ever in his construction of a gross 79, while Cullen will be content with his birdies at the 2nd and 5th.
Elsewhere, an in-spired three at Cathedrals was the wonderful manner in which Daryl Lawson closed out a nett 68 to win category 2. His closest rival here was Ian Ritchie, who rattled along admirably for 17 holes before, crucially, taking four more blows than Lawson on the 18th.
Andrew McBurney’s nett 69, which featured a useful two at the Quarry, took care of business among the 19+ group, where six pars in seven holes either side of the turn helped Christopher Crowe to a nett 70 and runner-up recognition.
Finally, the day’s gross award was snaffled by Philip ‘Scratch’ Kelly, whose snowman on Old Coach Road was, happily, entirely incongruous with the rest of a level-par round.
