All the news and happenings from the local golf clubs

Week five of the nine week Star Fuels-sponsored Winter League took place at the weekend at Brown Trout Golf Club.

Ever consistent Ronnie Milliken (5) was declared the winner albeit on countback with a better last six, from 27 handicapper Tommy McCloskey after both had returns of 39 points each, both scoring nines of 19 and 20.

Ronnie closed out each nine with a birdie! Tommy’s opening nine included a birdie at hole six where he had a double shot and was awarded five points, only scoring four points over the last three holes proved costly.

Third place went to Robert Orr (10) with 19 points each nine for 38 points, blanks at the first and fourteenth made the difference to his placing.

A low dividend was paid out as there was an abundance of twos scored by R. Milliken (two) D. Wilson R. Orr M. Torrington and J. Kelly. Team Doubles secured six league points for coming out on top again with T. McCloskey 39 and R. Orr 38 totalling 77 points. Closest rivals Team Paraffin made sure to keep it close claiming five league points with R. Smyth adding 32 to R. Milliken’s 39 for 71 point total.

Team Phurnacite with 69 points took third spot scored by D. Wilson 35 and R. Engall adding 34. Team Anthracite just one point back with 68 scored by captain S. Reid and M. Torrington with 34 points each.

Burnglow again a single point back with 67 with T. Cupples best with 34. Captains Coal ended up last with team captain J. Kearns scoring 32 and Club Captain G. Hamilton adding 31.

Very little separates the top three and the positions with four weeks remaining are as follows : Doubles 26 Paraffin 24 Anthracite 19 Phurnacite 16 Captains Coal 11 and Burnglow 9.

Gerard wins sirst turkey

Gerard Waide picked up his first turkey of the season at Ballycastle on Saturday and did it in some style.

Playing off thirteen, he recorded an eagle and three birdies in the first nine for a fantastic 28 points and despite a blank at the 14th he went on to collect a further 20 on the back nine for a cracking 48 total.

His playing partner Steven McGarry (12) obviously spurred him on, racking up two nines of 21 points each to take the Section One 2nd place while John Armstrong (10) collected the 3rd prize on 41 points.

It was obviously a dry day on Saturday because Victor Young (23) ventured out and took full advantage with a great 44 points to lift the Section Two turkey. In second place Sean McLean (23) had a splendid first nine of 24 points on his way to a total of 41, while the evergreen David Douglas took third spot with 38 points which included a birdie three at the fifth.

On Sunday in Section One, Owen Kennedy continued his recent good form to record 45 off his five handicap and win by two points from Alan McCook (14) in second. Owen birdied the first, second and third with a bogey five at the 9th being the only blip on an otherwise superb card.

Section Two saw Jim McCann (25) emerge from the early morning darkness to win his first turkey with an excellent 40 points, while Michael Dallat (18) scored 38 points to take 2nd prize in the section.

In Saturday’s Section One ringers, Owen Kennedy has posted a target of nett 58 with some weeks still to go, while in Section Two Colin Millar leads the ringer at present with a nett 60.

In the Sunday ringers Laurence McQuillan is in the lead in Section 1 with a nett 59.5 and in Section 2 Michael McAfee has posted a nett 61.

RPGC TURKEY FOR JOHN

Six handicapper John Moss was top man at Royal Portrush on Saturday scoring 41 points to secure the best turkey on offer.

After birdying the long second John added a wee two at the third before dropping his first shot at five. He wasn’t finished with the birdies however, adding in a three at the eighth and another four at nine to have 24 points bagged. A few shots drifted away after the turn but a rally came with a birdie three at fifteen and this helped to pull 17 points out to get to 41.

This was matched by Robert Brady but countback edged Robert into second spot. He had a better front nine tally, 25 points, birdying the long second and ninth with a three at eight as well. Just one bogey in the nine holes for the nine handicapper.

His double bogey six at thirteen restricted the back nine tally to 16 points Dr Ian Kerr (4) double bogied the first and parred the other eight to get 18 points out. His eagle three on the thirteenth, together with a good birdie three at the last got him 21 points back to ease Gary Stevenson into fourth spot with another 39. Fifth was Kieran Crowley with 38 and sixth Paul Rohdich also on 38.

CASTLEROCK TURKEY

RESULTS

Nine handicap Peter Kilburn scored 37 points over the fifteen hole winter layout at Castlrock on Saturday to get a pick of the eight turkeys up for grabs.

An opening birdie three set up Peter’s day and he didn’t disappoint as he racked up the points over the next four holes. This included another birdie, a four, at the fifth. A minor blip of a six on the seventh for just one point did not prevent Peter getting to 18 points at the turn. No more single pointers were to be seen on Peter’s card after this, just twos and threes. A birdie two at sixteen boosted the final seven hole total to 19 points for his winning effort of 37.

This was one clear of Seamus Allen, a fifteen handicapper, who carded 36. Seamus picked up four points for his two on the fourth to be out with 19 points gained. But for a one pointer at seventeen he would have bettered this coming back but had to be content with 18 more for his 36.

David McNeill was pushed into third place on countback with another 36. Playing off thirteen David hit a birdie on the long fifth for four points which helped to get him to 18 at the halfway stage. He did the same at the twelfth with a three to be able to sign up for 18 back and 36 total. Paul Tennant (8), Jim Todd (8), Ken Newens (8), Patrick McNulty (12) and Ashley McElwee (16) all hit 35s for the final birds.

On Sunday three birds were on offer and nine handicapper John Bunting took the first by scoring 35 points. Steady scoring on the way out got him to 16 after seven and John kept the momentum going by adding in a good birdie two at fourteen for four and another birdie on the long seventeenth for three, getting 19 points out of the last eight holes.

Ronnie Moore matched the 16 out and 19 back but lost out in the first roll of the countback. He birdied the two par fives late on the inward section but failed to register on the eighteenth to get pushed into second place. Lee Creighton suffered the same fate with 17 out and 18 back.

BUSHFOOT WINTER LEAGUE

Scoring at the tops of the two divisions was quite close this week in the Dunluce Golf Winter League with Harold Love and Matt Colgan both registering 41 points.

Harold. Playing off ten, topped Divsion One with his but would have liked not to have blanked the second to get a few more points on the card. In spite of that he still got to 18 points at the turn for home. Eleven gave him his first birdie, a two, and twelve did the same for a three to boost the back nine tally to an excellent 23 and his card to 41.

This was two in front of Alvin Steele on 39. The eleven handicapper Also had bagged 18 by the turn but let points slip away with a six at ten before dropping in a two at eleven. A steady finish saw 21 points scored for his second spot.

In Division Two it was Matt who topped the chart on 41. A double bogey five at the second was followed shortly by a no score on the fourth. A big hurdle to claw your way back from that but Matt did it. The sixteen handicapper knocked in a two at eleven and dropped very few shots from there to get 23 from the back nine for 41 overall.

Colin Millar (15) was runner up on a very steady 40 points, two nines of twenty each.

GALES FAIL TO STOP ALLIANCE

Over eighty intrepid golfers braved the near gale force winds last Thursday to compete in the NEG Alliance meeting at Royal Portrush GC.

Over the sixteen holes in play it was Portstewart’s Patsy McGahon who came out on top with a very creditable 33 point haul. Castleorck’s Eamon McGuiness took second spot on 31 points after a countback involving Portstewart pair Gary Todd and John Cameron. Castlerock’s Reggie Dallas, B Trolland and Ivan Tennant all scored 30 points each while Jacj Allen (C’rock), Willie McIntyre (R’more) and Danny Alexander (P’stwrt) had returns of 29 points. D Mulholland and Allen Bell (C’rock and P’stwrt) filled the final two slots with 27 points scored.

These good scores in the conditions paid their own respects to a course in excellent condition. The next meet will be hosted by Castlerock GC on 28th November.

A BRACE OF ACES

Willie McIlroy teed off at the eleventh on Saturday and, lo and behold, holed out his shot for a hole in one! He looked at Des Walker saying “you need that for a half” and Des duly obliged, holing out his tee shot too. Two holes in one in the same fourball at the same hole!