Busy period of Open Week action at Raceview

Open Week at Ballymena Golf Club, sponsored by McBurney Transport, came to a conclusion with the Saturday open stableford event.
Ronnie Mitchell, Stephen Craig and Davy Crockard on the green at Ballymena a Golf a Club during the McBurney Transport stableford.Ronnie Mitchell, Stephen Craig and Davy Crockard on the green at Ballymena a Golf a Club during the McBurney Transport stableford.
Ronnie Mitchell, Stephen Craig and Davy Crockard on the green at Ballymena a Golf a Club during the McBurney Transport stableford.

It was won by 22-handicapper Robert McMullan with a total of 40 points.

Each nine holes produced 20 points and that included a non-score on the par three 16th.

In total his card read four pars, 11 bogeys, and two double bogeys - steady play for a high handicapper.

Second nett was Robert’s namesake Gary McMullan (17) who posted 39 points, with 20 points coming on the back nine, which could have been more but for a non-score at 16.

Third nett was won by Brian Russell (19) who had the best of four 37 point cards with a better last six hole total of 13 points from Adam Barr (5) who could only manage 12 points over those holes.

Russell’s round got off to a slow start as he dropped five shots on his opening three holes but he reached the turn with 17 points on his card and then added a further 20.

Barr’s first nine was made up of three pars, a bogey,a double bogey, a triple bogey plus birdies at the first, third and ninth. His second nine contained four pars, three bogeys and birdies on the 10th and 17th.

Richard J Armstrong (15) also scored 37 points - 16 of them coming on the second nine holes - and on a better second nine hole total from Garath Logan.

Seventeen-handicapper Logan will have cause for regret about his second nine holes which yielded just 12 points after a remarkable performance in the opening nine holes where six pars, two bogeys and a birdie at the seventh produced a superb total of 25 points but he was unable to maintain that high standard over the homeward stretch.

Gary Black (2) got back on the best gross trail when he completed his round in one over par gross.

On the way out he had seven pars and a bogey at the seventh which he retrieved immediately with a birdie on the eighth.

His back nine accounted for six pars, dropped shots at 11 and 12 plus a birdie on the final hole for a round of 69 shots.

ROUND-UP

The McBurney Transport-sponsored Open Week at Ballymena Golf Club produced a lot of enjoyment for the golfers taking part in a packed schedule of events.

The stableford competition on the Monday was won by William Tuff (11) who ended up three points ahead of the field, having scored 40 points.

William got his round off to a perfect start having holed his second shot at the par four first hole for an eagle which was worth five points alone and he went on to collect 21 points from the first nine holes.

The second nine saw him add a further 19 points for his total of 40 overall,

Second place went to Laurie Windle (26) with a total of 37 points, of which 20 came from the front nine and his card also included ‘dings’ on the first and thirteenth holes.

Third nett was Ivan McMaster (15) with a total of 36 points having scored 21 on the front nine holes while his back nine yielded just 15 points after non-scores at the 13th and 15th.

The best gross prize was won by Michael Smyth (4) with a round of four over par 72 shots, which included 14 pars.

The open stableford on Wednesday saw David Chambers (15) top the field with 39 points and on a better second nine total from Millar Eagleson.

Chambers played the front nine to his handicap for 18 points to which he added 21 on the back nine, whereas Eagleson did the reverse and his second nine included ‘dings’ on the 11th and 15th but against that, Millar scored five three-pointers.

Third nett went to Ciaran Corbett (10) who scored 38 points having scored 20 on the outward nine holes. A ‘ding came on the 10th but he had birdies at the 12th, 17th and 18th.

The best gross prize was won by Iain Witherspoon (5), a visitor from Ballyclare Golf Club who played the course in four over par, having scored 14 pars, double bogeys on the 14th and 18th, a bogey on the 11th plus a birdie on the fourth.

The ‘seniors’ open on Thursday resulted in Gerry O’Hara (17) topping the prize list with 40 points of which 21 came from the outward nine.

Second place was taken by David Dunlop (24), a visitor from Moyola Park who scored 39 points and his second nine of 22 pushed Donald Smyth into Donald had a superb first nine which he covered in two over gross for 23 points.

The best gross went to Ferguson McKelvey (11) who played the course in 11 over par 79 shots.

Friday’s competition was fourball better ball and the winners were R Daly (25) partnered by J McElroy who scored a total of 48 points of which 27 came on the first nine holes.

Second prize went to T Surgenor (12) and A Robinson (19) who returned an overall total of 45 points with 23 coming from the opening nine.

Third prize went to Michael Scroggie (8) and Donald Smyth (14) with 44 points, having scored 23 on the outward nine while the inward nine was played in four over for 21 more points.

Adam Barr played the Raceview course in one under par gross to win the Sunday open stableford competition by a clear margin of four points.

The five handicapper went through the front nine with five pars, three birdies and a dropped shot at the par five ninth.

His back nine accounted for five pars, three dropped shots plus birdies at the thirteenth and eighteenth.

Runner-up Adam Heron, playing off a ten handicap, scored three pars, four bogeys plus birdies on the two par five holes, the third and the ninth, for twenty one points on the way out.

The back nine yielded four bogeys, a double bogey on the fifteenth plus four pars for a further seventeen points and an overall total of thirty eight.

Third prize went to Nigel Thompson who compiled a total of thirty seven points, having scored nineteen of those on the front nine where he was five over par gross.

The thirteen handicapper was seven over par on the back nine which accounted for another eighteen points.

David Smith added another best gross win to his total for the season.

The five-handicapper played the course in five over par gross.

He scored five pars plus four bogeys on the front nine whereas the back nine accounted for seven pars, a double bogey on the seventeenth plus a birdie on the thirteenth.

MIXED FOURSOMES

The mixed foursomes event during the week was won by JG Montgomery (25) and partner D Kernohan (28) who scored a total of thirty seven points.

That was enough for the duo to ensure victory despite failing to score any points on the fourth and seventeenth holes.

LADIES

Jill Crockard was the latest winner in the ladies’ section at Ballymena Golf Club when the ladies played for the PSV Ramps-sponsored Bill Rainey Cup.

She completed her round with a stableford score of 38 ahead of runner-up, Kerri Rose McIlroy, and third placed Jill Black.