In glorious sunshine and on one of the hottest Fermanagh days on record over 170 golfers took to the Enniskillen fairways to compete for Scott Hamilton’s captain’s prize.
The first golfers teed off at 7am and the last fourball finished just after 8pm.
To ensure the ‘champion’ golfer finished ahead of the field Scott set up the course with an array of tee and pin positions to suit everyone. The course proved a solid test of all round ability and it was Michael O’Kane who topped the leaderboard at the end of play.
Ten handicapper O’Kane took full advantage of the earlier favourable conditions and avoided any sucker pin positions as he cruised round the front nine in one over par 37 shots. He added another five pars and four bogeys on the back nine for a gross 76 and a net 66 for a comfortable two shot win ahead of Eddie Sparshott and Stephen Gault who both had a net 68.
After a countback it was Sparshott who snatched the runner up spot. The 23 handicapper pushed it round the front nine in a respectable one under net 35. But he pulled the stops out around the back nine with a hat trick of pars from the tricky 11th and added a net 33 for his net 68 total.
Stephen Gault claimed the last podium spot also with a net 68. The nine handicapper went out in 38 shots and came home in 39 shots.
An array of talent finished with a net 69 – Harry Thompson, Declan O’Brien, Andrew Mowat, Joshua Lee and Phil McCarney. Off the five it was Thompson who snuck into fourth place with 3 over par 74 for his net 69. The five handicapper admitted afterwards that he rued a missed opportunity due to a poor day on the greens which included a four putt and two three putts!
Off the other four on a net 69, McCarney was trundling along very nicely until the unlucky 13th hole where he ran up a septuple bogey 11.
Nicky Wilson won the gross prize with a one over par 72. His round included an eagle three on the eighth hole.
David Humphreys lifted the past captain’s silver salver with a credible nett 72.
Twelve handicapper Jayne Henry from Dungannon lifted the lady visitor prize with 36 points while Portadown golfer and former Enniskillen member Geoff Allister got the gents visitor prize with 32 points.
The respective Eggs and Legs winners were Seamus Magee and Sally Redman.
Sally Redman also won the Captain’s prize to the ladies with a nett 70 with Deirdre Slater runner up with a nett 71.
With an excellent nett 31 Benny Hunter got the front nine and Fergal Donnelly got the back nine with a nett 32.
Playing off the new par three 11th tee proved a bridge too far for everyone as no one got a two. There were 11 twos on the day – Benny Hunter on the third, Declan O’Brien, Niall Gormley, John Colten, Davy Walker, Raymond Brownlee, Neill Cuthbertson, Gary Smyth and Charlie Shaw all on the sixth with David Armstrong and John O’Neill securing their twos on the 14th hole.
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