Mew finds his seniors victory hard to believe
“I don’t believe it,” was Alan Mew’s reaction to his victory in the English Seniors County Champions Tournament on a dull and cold afternoon at Woodhall Spa.
Despite a last hole bogey, which didn’t prove disastrous, Mew (image © Tom Ward) carded a second 76 for 152, six over par, for a one shot winning margin over playing partner Bob Aston, who also signed for 76, with John Willis from Cumbria third on 155 after a closing 77.
In contrast to the first round, the 30 seniors in action were greeted by a cold day on the testing Hotchkin Course and the scores reflected that.
With his county President Tony Cullen acting as caddie, Mew, the former Hampshire county captain, began the round just one ahead of Staffordshire’s Aston but he didn’t make the best of starts.
“The highlight of the day was that I didn’t lose the tournament in the first few holes,” he said. “I hooked a three wood on the first and made bogey then found a bunker off the tee on the second but managed to can a 20-footer for par.
“On the third I hit a four iron to eight feet for birdie but on the fourth I drove into rough, hacked out then chipped in for birdie.
“After that I settled down. But I hit too many poor tee shots and if you don’t hit the short stuff on this course you are in trouble. But my irons were good and I putted better today.”
With the rest of the field not making a charge, Mew was not subjected to any pressure but he still wasn’t completely happy with his game. He managed to stay two ahead of Aston and enjoyed that cushion to the 18th.
“You’d have thought I’d never won anything they way I played and to finish with a bogey was disappointing,” he added. “I hit a good drive, hacked a three wood, then played what I thought was a good chip but it ran to the back of the green.”
From there he took three more for a bogey-six. But Aston, having birdied the 16th, was in a greenside trap, came out well but shaved the hole with his birdie putt which would have earned him a tie.
Aston, who matched Mew with a front nine of 36, double-bogeyed the tenth, which, in hindsight, probably wrecked his chances.
“Bob let me off the hook on 17 when he thinned his approach into the face of a bunker and took an unplayable, which kept me two clear playing the last,” Mew admitted.
At the age of 59, Mew could prove a candidate for the England seniors international team. “I think I’m good enough but my game isn’t in good enough shape at the moment”, he said.
Bob Lander from BB&O shot the best round of the day, a level-par 73, which, after an opening 88, left him in eighth place on 161.
Of the senior internationals on view, Tyrone Carter finished equal fourth on 156 after an 80, Andrew Carman tenth also after an 80, Geoff King shot 85 for 166 and 15th and Jon Marks 24th on 178 after a closing 90.
Dodds lifts County Champions title on countback
Sam Dodds became the fourth Warwickshire player to win the County Champions Tournament and the Presidents Bowl after a three-way tie over the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa.
Dodds (image © Tom Ward) finished on level par 146 alongside David Gibson from Leicestershire & Rutland and Mark Young from Lancashire but took the title on a card countback, his 73 gaining the verdict against Young’s 74 and Gibson’s 75.
“It’s nice to win any event but this is a national title,” said Dodds. “I must admit I’m a bit surprised but I fancied my chances because I’ve been playing nicely.
“Even so, I didn’t think I would win with 73. I thought someone would shoot better, that someone would come out of the pack and surge through. Fortunately they didn’t.”
Not that the field of 31 had the best of conditions. The weather turned distinctly cold in the afternoon, a prelude to the rain sweeping in to make it thorough miserable. But Dodds, Young and Gibson didn’t allow it to affect their desire to secure this title and to see the trio finish tied was a credit to their skills on a difficult course.
In the end Dodds prevailed although he was not happy with his form on the greens.
“But my putting was not good. I don’t know if it was misreads or the pace but it was one of those days when the putts wouldn’t go in no matter what I tried."
Dodds, 23, from Coventry also returned a level-par 73 in the morning to lie joint fourth, two strokes behind Gibson while Young and Max Orrin, the Kent champion, signed for 72.
But Dodds’ remained consistent after lunch, while his rivals fell behind and although it wasn’t the best second round return, it was good enough to see him home.
Dodds, who has also won the Warwickshire Open and Match Play Championship as well as the county title, went out in 35 with three birdies and had two more in a homeward 38.
Young, who lines up with his Lancashire colleagues in next week’s County Championship Final at Beau Desert, was out in 35 but fell away a little on the back nine.
“I tugged my drive left on the 11th and it cost me a double bogey,” he said. “Then I did the same off the 15th tee and dropped another shot.” He also had four birdies but those dropped shots proved crucial.
Gibson, who has represented Leicestershire & Rutland several times in this event, was the epitome of consistency. Despite not finding a single birdie, his card showed 16 pars and just two bogeys in his 75.
The last Warwickshire player to secure the title was Steve Webster, who won the championship at Lindrick in 1995.
Australian Spoons winners score a first for their county
Women golfers Janet Ions and Jean Halligan are England’s Australian Spoons champions – and the first partnership from Cheshire to capture the trophy.
The pair, from Tytherington Golf Club, won a tight tussle for the Spoons at the national final at East Devon Golf Club.
“It was very close,” said Janet. “Our playing partners were ahead of us all the way and we pipped them on the last hole, where we got three points and they got one.”
This is their biggest win in golf and, as Jean said: “It’s lovely.” Janet added: “It’s great and a big shock, a real surprise!”
The stableford foursomes competition is contested by players with handicaps of 21 and over and the national finalists – who each represented one of England Golf’s women’s regions – had come through club and regional qualifying rounds.
Janet, who has been playing golf only four years, has a handicap of 26 – and had been cut by two in the run-up to the final - while Jean is a 29 handicapper.
The pair, who represented the North region, closely examined the trophy to discover they were the first winners from Cheshire. They scored 31 points on the scenic and challenging clifftop course which features some very demanding greens.
They were followed by:
Sheelah Ayliffe and Jill MacLeod from Bovey Tracey Golf Club, Devon, representing the South West Maggie Jowett and Elizabeth Reddick from Breedon Priory Golf Club, Leicestershire & Rutland, representing Midlands North.
Victoria Westgarth and Pauline Gibbs from Windlesham Golf Club, Surrey, representing the South.
Nicky Phillips and Jenny Thompson from Droitwich Golf Club, Worcestershire & Herefordshire, representing Midlands South.
Barbara Marriott and Victoria Walley of Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands Golf Club, Bedfordshire, representing the East.
Caption: Australian Spoons winners Janet Ions and Jean Halligan, with England Golf joint president Sue Johnson (centre), watched by the other finalists (back row)
