Porter carries off Ulster Sports Trophy

Three pars and a birdie four at the long fourth got the fifteen handicapper away to a great start and even a couple of double bogies couldn’t prevent him grabbing 20 points by the turn. Ronnie wasn’t able to slip any more birdies in but he dropped very few shots on the inward nine and the result was a 21 point back half score and his 41 winning total.

Seven handicap David Smith was runner up with 39 points to his name. He had an average enough outward nine of 16 points but came to life with a vengeance after the turn. The long tenth was reduced to four shots, the short fifteenth to two and the par four seventeenth to three! Until his final hole bogey four David was three under par coming back but had to settle for two under and those 23 points boosted him well up the field.

Leslie McMullan weighed in with 38 points for third place. A very steady outward nine gave him 22 points but the back nine was not so profitable. His no score at fifteen put him out of the running for top spot and third by himself was the outcome. This was one in front of Jim Cummings on 38. Again the dreaded blank holes were Jim’s undoing, seven and eleven failed to help him while he scored well on the rest of the course, 15 out and a good 22 coming back.

Leon Stevenson picked up the Best Gross prize after shooting a 72. He dropped three shots in his birdie free front nine of 38 before moving into top gear coming back. Ten and eleven gave him two birdies, a four and a two, and this was followed up by two more at the par four fourteenth and the short fifteenth. Leon had a poor end to his day as he double bogeyed the last which meant he was one under for the back nine and two over for the day.