Castletown Golf Club
MICHAEL CHARMER WINS THE STEVE KEEGAN MEMORIAL
After two torrential tries, the Steve Keegan Memorial finally took place in glorious golfing weather at Castletown GC on Saturday. Steve would have been delighted that 106 members participated in the purest form of golf, a stroke-play competition, which was his favoured format.
Michael Charmer - shown above- who opened this season by winning the pairs Texas Scramble with Tom Doherty in early March, bagged another bookend by securing the trophy that commemorates his former four-ball friend. Charmer’s fine five under par performance included six birdies and just one bogey, for a superb 67.
Second spot was claimed by recently crowned club champion Chris Kneen. Three birdies landed Kneen a 69 that placed him one vital stroke ahead of playing partners Rob Noon and Andrew Challenor. The latter was looking to retain the trophy which he had held since inauguration three years ago.
There were three nett score prizes on offer. These were awarded to Martin Young, Michael Saabye Katkjaer and Matt Ascroft respectively. Young’s 71/66 included an eagle followed by a birdie, but two random bogeys brought him back to one-under. Multiple match-play champion Katkjaer was sub-par until three back-nine bogeys left him on 74, nett 66.
The third and final nett score prize required a four-way countback calculation involving Ascroft 79/70, Ross Byrne 83/70, John Newson 73/70 and Simon Murray 74/70, which was settled in that order.
Although they all carded nett 70, Ascroft’s aberration was his splashy seven on the Road Hole, whereas Byrne bogeyed four times on the run-in. The 18th was Newson’s nemesis and Murray minted more bogeys than birdies on his back-nine.
IIn less hospitable conditions, former captain Andrew Gerrard won the Yellow-sponsored mixed midweek Stableford. His 32 points were less front-nine focused than Garth Kimber’s who found himself at sixes and sevens after the turn.
Murray had used all his strokes by the 7th so did well to finish third after countback on 31. On the same score, but just missing out on the podium places, current captain Belinda Pilling just pipped the immediate past captain Michelle Hooker. Both failed to post points on the final hole.
This coming Saturday the twice rescheduled J. Carter Cup hopefully will take place as the Winter team competitions commence on the following Saturday.
MALCOLM LAMBERT
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