County Armagh Golf Club’s immaculate course was a hive of (socially distanced) activity on 27 June as members belatedly contested the season’s first silverware offering, namely the Bumblebee Cup sponsored by Armagh Potato Company.
The bee's knees in this stroke competition was Derek McKeever, who had every reason to wax lyrical about a stunning nett 64 that saw him grab the Saturday glory. And given that it was completed in the worst conditions of what was a particularly wet and blustery day, the champion’s seven-over-par afternoon round made him an especially worthy recipient of the Bumblebee crown.
Derek was no doubt buzzing early on as he registered half a dozen pars and a birdie at the 3rd on his way to a brilliant 35-stroke front nine, which was five under his starting handicap of 13. No one would have blamed McKeever, though, had his mood turned decidedly waspish on account of double bogeys at the 10th and 16th that 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 Derek rallied wonderfully to finish 3, 4. That birdie at the 17th was as sweet as honey and represented the ultimate highlight of a tremendous day's work that granted the Newry man a new handicap of 12 as well as the maiden CAGC trophy of 2020.
Elsewhere, a McKeever-style nerveless conclusion ensured that George Bradshaw took home the overall runner-up award. Bradshaw’s 4, 4 ending was typical of an outing built on unflappability, featuring as it did a swarm of nine pars and eight bogeys.
The resultant and excellent gross 80 and nett 66 clipped George’s handicap to 13 and will have been of particular satisfaction given his injury-interrupted campaigns of late.
On the sectional front, a weather-defying one-over-par knock enabled Paul Doyle to secure top spot in category 1. Keeping his ball under the wind as ever, the five-handicapper plundered a superb hat-trick of birdies at the 6th, 7th and 15th.
Second to Doyle was John Vernon, who was almost as impressive in posting a gross 73. Vernon’s twos at the 11th and 13th added to the profitability of the performance and, now, he also plays off five.
Aaron Wright took the category 2 plaudits by virtue of a nett 68. The key to his success was a tremendous homeward trek comprising five pars, four bogeys and no collywobbles. Wright’s closest challenger was Ciaran McCreesh, who was one shot back. McCreesh has been a prolific voucher collector in category 3 in recent years and he looks undaunted by his new 13-18 bracket surroundings.
Finally, Luke Crozier proved uncatchable in category 3 with a solid nett 68 that peaked with back-to-back pars at the 12th and 13th and earned him a one-shot handicap reduction. Second position here was filled by Brendan Lynch, whose five consecutive fives from Sequoias to the clubhouse were more than acceptable in the rain and delivered him safely to the nett 69 mark.
