Ballymena Golf Club round-up: Wallace tops qualifiers; Drennan new club captain

ON a day of near-Arctic conditions, a smaller-than-usual field of 86 competitors teed at Ballymena Golf Club on qualifying day for the McConnell Cup.
Ballymena Golf Club captain Jim Drennan. INBT12-230ACBallymena Golf Club captain Jim Drennan. INBT12-230AC
Ballymena Golf Club captain Jim Drennan. INBT12-230AC

Another fact in the lesser entry was that almost 40 Raceview members were away on a weekend outing to Headford Golf Club.

Entries may have been down but the scoring was as high as ever and the qualifying was led by Mervyn Wallace (24) with a score of four 
under par 64.

Having shed four shots on the opening three holes, Mervyn settled down to get through the opening nine holes in eight over.

He managed to play the first seven holes inside his handicap despite double bogeys on the 10th and 11th but the last two holes cost him four shots.

Although second-placed Seamus O’Boyle also posted a nett 64, Wallace’s second nine of 33 nett was one better than O’Boyle’s 34 shots over the same stretch.

O’Boyle, who had a one shot allowance per hole, had a superb opening nine of four over gross which left him in a very comfortable position to tackle the back nine but he spent 10 shots on that back nine.

His second nine score suffered somewhat when he dropped three shots on the par four 11th but overall he still made the 
matchplay ‘cut’.

Third nett position was taken by 13-handicapper Keith Richmond who returned a nett score of 65.

Keith had equal nines of five over despite a double bogey on the par five third plus another double on the par three 16th. In total, Keith had eight pars plus a birdie on the eighth.

Best gross came from Jonathan Law who, off five, posted a gross card of three over par, 
71 shots.

Law’s opening nine contained six pars, bogeys on the first and eighth plus a birdie on the par three fourth. The second nine opened with a three and was backed up by eight fours.

The matchplay draw is: M Wallace v W Greer; S O’Boyle v P Kearney; T Magee v D Francey; T Surgenor v B Logan; J Law v G Wallace; C Magee v S Russell; S Surgenor v G Bell; K Richmond v C Horner.

HOLE-IN-ONE

The second hole provided a magic moment for Brian Logan, who holed his tee shot at the par three hole.