County Armagh Golf Club’s Wednesday Open tournaments continued to thrive in August, as healthy numbers of members and visitors determinedly made the most of what, at times, felt like a washout of a summer.
The month’s midweek skirmishes kicked off on 7 August, when Ciaran McCreesh’s splendid 41-point display, which featured a birdie and half a dozen pars, pushed him to the summit of the Open Stableford standings. Meanwhile, Paddy Darragh emerged victorious from the over-50s contingent by virtue of an excellent 81-shot outing that garnered 40 points and snipped his handicap to 14.
The following Wednesday witnessed the popular inception of an over-65s competition, the inaugural winner of which was Mickey Macklin with a sound 37-point effort. Indeed, Macklin followed this up with another such triumph seven days later, when his ‘King of the Senior Seniors’ status was confirmed with a 36-point round that was at its best during a spell of four consecutive pars from the 5th to the 8th.
Returning to the action on 14 August, a birdie on Old Coach Road and four pars in the last seven holes enabled Kieran Beagan to rack up a peerless 40 points in the regular Seniors event, and Jarlath McReynolds’s majestic three-under-par and 41-point knock rendered him a most deserving under-50s champion.
On Wednesday 21 August, a similarly impressive level-par performance by Shea Smyth earned him 39 points and the Open Stableford honours. Unbeatable in the over-50s bracket on this occasion was Niall McGeown, whose prevailing margin was a massive six strokes after a fabulous gross 79 and 42-point showing that included the bonus of a Quarry two.
August’s Wednesday Open exchanges were wrapped up on the 28th, when Mickey Macklin finally surrendered his over-65s crown to Brendan Beagan, whose hefty 42-point haul was boosted in no small measure by bountiful back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th.
On the same day, Ronan McWilliams birdied the 6th and registered a prolific eight pars on the homeward nine to card a 41-point total that took care of business among the under-50s. Finally, in the concurrent half-century-and-more-but-not-quite-65 event, Ian Ritchie added yet another first prize to his 2019 collection through a brilliant 40-point offering that contained nine pars.
