Breanne Loucks wins Irish Ladies Open Amateur Championship
Twenty year old Breanne Loucks, Wrexham member and holder of the 2008 South African Open Ladies Stroke play and Match play events, last weekend added the Irish Ladies Open Amateur Championships to her ever growing list of achievements for 2008.
Played at Elm Park in Dublin, the fifty four holes event attracted seventy invitees from all the home countries and selected others, and Breanne led at the cut off point following thirty six holes at three under par, scoring 69, and 72 against par of 72.
The conditions were difficult enough for the cut to be on 159 which represents fifteen over par for the forty players who beat or equalled that score.
Entering the final eighteen holes with a five strokes lead, she carded a one over par 73 to win the Championship by three clear strokes from Rosanne Niven of Scotland who was runner up. Asked whether the course suited her play, Breanne said that she preferred links golf, but the windy conditions on the final day were not too much of a problem and she coped very well.
The Waterford Crystal Trophy for the individual winner was supplemented by prizes for the Welsh team of ladies comprising Breanne, Rhian Wyn Thomas and Tara Davies who won the Team Championship. They all now travel to Sweden next weekend to compete in the European Team Championships.
The Wrexham club have just concluded six days of competitions in their third Open week of Golf which started in their Centenary year in 2006. Now referred to as our Festival of Golf, over one thousand players competed in the five Open events and nearly three hundred members in the closed events.
The Texas Scramble played last Tuesday was an excellent fun event which has proved so popular over the years. Winners with a remarkable thirteen under par gross came Ashley Griffiths, Kevin Matthias, Stuart Fisher and Adrian Maddocks with a score of 57 - 1.8 - 55.2. The 1.8 is arrived at by adding all four handicaps together and dividing by ten, and the event is played as a medal. Without doubt this event does favour the low handicap players who collectively have four attempts at every shot from the best positions possible on fairways and greens. After a couple of birdies on the front six holes, all scored in three or four gross, from the seventh tee the team recorded all holes in three, including an eagle on the twelfth only to get a four on sixteen to spoil a run of twelve threes in sequence.
Second came the team of R Paul Williams, Ray Merrill, Helen Groves and Jackie Williams with 56.6. Selwyn Roberts, Pam Valentine, Jill Edwards and Alan Edwards were in third place with 56.7.
The Mens’ Fourball better ball played in pairs was the featured event on Wednesday and was won by W. Wersun and G Dickens of Hart Common with a strong 44 points followed by John Percy and Peter Owen of Northop with the same numbers but a less good back nine holes. Tony Armstrong and Nick Verburg were in third place with the better of two 43 point cards.
The best gross went to Ashley Griffiths and Warren Wynne with a 69.
The heavily populated Seniors Open on Thursday played very well until the heavens opened at about two o’clock and the rain came down in stair rods. It is not too bad to get caught out in the rain whilst out on the course, but to start out from the first tee when it is absolutely pouring down is not conducive to good golf.
However, Norman Green and David Earnshaw of Chester Golf Club weathered the storm to produce 46 points and win by a clear point from R Paul Williams and Ray Sambrook of the home club who were on 45. Ray Bennett and Bob Kavanagh of Wrexham owned 44 points for third place with Tony Morgan and J Consodine of Coventry in fourth spot with 43.
The best gross was won by K P Geddes and D W Hind of Crewe Golf Club with a 71, one over par.
The Mixed event on Friday was the concluding Open event of the week and was, as ever, very well supported by members and visitors alike.
Winners were Malcolm J. Edwards of Wrexham and his daughter Mrs. Ann Lee of Clays golf club with 45 points from Ray Bennett and Helen Milner of Wrexham who handed in 44. R Paul Williams and Pam Valentine were in third place with another 44 followed by Alan Evans and Sue Burgess with 42.
Alan and Jill Edwards of Llanishen, Cardiff, had stayed in the area for the whole week playing in every available event, and won the best gross with 74.
Clays golf club played the T & K Jones trophy last week with Kevin Williams winning with a net 65 from Darren Edwards on 67 and Harold Hughes third on 68.
The Seniors Pairs Stableford played off full handicaps with both scores to count on the card witnessed a win for Den Murphy and Fred Court with 69 points. Second came Tony Jackson and Brian Mercer with 68 followed by seniors’ Captain, Roy Jones and Stan Brookfield with another 68 but losing on count back.
The DGU team played Old Colwyn away in gale force winds and lost five to three with two matches being settled on the eighteenth green, so close was the competition.
The Vale of Llangollen veterans played Hawkestone Park at Llangollen last week and won by a margin of 9 to 3.