Warwickshire Golf
COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 REVIEW
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COUNTY CHAMPION 2015 Victoria MALLETT |
RUNNER UP 2015 Gemma BRADBURY |
LOSING SEMI FINALIST 2015 Katrina GANI |
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VERA CLAYTON TROPHY 2015 WINNER Lisa BARTON |
SILVER DIVISION TROPHY 2015 WINNER Penny DAWSON |
BRONZE DIVISION TROPHY 2015 WINNER Ray DAVIES |
PRIZE PRESENTATION
The Prize Presentation for all competitiors who had taken part on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday commenced at 5 p.m. County Captain Karen HEARN opened the procedings by thanking Olton Golf Club for allowing this Championship to take place at her home Club, Olton and particularly for allowing the knockout rounds to be played over the weekend, a first in the history of the Warwickshire County Championship. She went on to thank the Green Keeper for producing an excellent course for all days, especially the fast greens and the challenging rough! In addition she thanked the Professional and staff together with the Catering and Bar Staff for all their hard work in making these three days so memorable. Margaret SHEEPY, Competition Secretary who had organised the Championship together with Elizabeth EARNSHAW, Website Manager who had trialled 'Live Scoring' with great success on the courseover the weekend, were also thanked sincerely for their hard work.
Prizes for the Championshio were then presented by County Captain, Karen HEARN to the winners listed below:
Championship Cup - Victoria MALLETT (Sutton Coldfield Ladies GC)
Runner Up Salver - Gemma BRADBURY (Coventry Hearsall GC)
2 Losing Semi Finalists in County Championship - Katrina GANI & Yen PHAM (Shirley GC)
Vera Clayton Trophy - Lisa BARTON ( Coventry GC) Gross Aggregate 158
Runner Up - Yen PHAM (Shirley GC) - Gross Aggregate 162
Silver Division Medal - Penny DAWSON (Shirley GC) - Nett 70
Runner UP - Christina KENNEDY (Olton GC) - Nett 72
Bronze Championship Winner - Ray DAVIES (Olton GC) - 32 Points (on Countback from)
Runner Up - Dianne CORLESS (Olton GC) - 32 Points
Longest Drive (Silver Division) 10th hole - Gemma BRADBURY (Coventry Hearsall GC)
Nearest Pin (Silver Division) 8th hole - Irene LANGLEY (Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel & GC)
Nearest Pin in Two (Silver Division) 12th hole - Katrina GANI (Shirley GC)
Longest Drive (Bronze Division) 9th hole - Rebecca RICHARDSON (The Warwickshire G&CC)
Nearest Pin (Bronze Division) - Sandra MELLING (Kenil;worth GC)
DAY 3 - SEMI FINAL
Sunday 10th May and once again the weather was fine albeit a little windy and with a chill in the air. Olton Golf Course once again was presented superbly and looked in pristine condition, with the greens, if anything a little speedier than previously. The semi finalists were Katrina GANI (Shirley GC) v Victoria MALLETT (Sutton Coldfield Ladies GC) in the first match followed by Yen PHAM (Shirley GC) v Gemma BRADBURY (Coventry Hearsall GC) and on paper we looked to be in for a treat hopefully with some excellent golf being played.
First off at 9 a.m. were Katrina and Victoria, both being supported by a caddie, which on Day 3 really was a must. This match turned out to be a very close affair with nothing in it for most of the round. They were both scoring Pars with the occasional missed shot for Bogey and neither one of them was more than 1 up at any stage. By the 17th hole, Katrina had managed to get to 1 up, but Victoria never gave up finishing with a half after 17th. On the 18th, Katrina hit a pushed shot off the tee and the ball could not be found, resulting in loss of the hole and the necessity of extending play up the 19th, a par 5. Victoria was putting for 4, but just missed , scoring a Par 5 whilst Katrina finished with a Bogey.
Excellent play by both young ladies and a very good semi final match. As Katrina'a Caddy said after the match "she just hit 2 nervy shots on 18th and 19th, from which she never recovered".
In the Second match with Gemma playing Yen, there was also some sparkling play throughout the round. What a start for them both with opening Birdies! Yen was the first to break through on 2nd when she hit an amazing 2nd shot to the green but after 4th the match was All Square after good putts from Gemma. Standing on the 10th Tee though, Gemma had moved on to be 3 up which was soon increased to 4 even though Yen made a fantastic bunker shot, landing close to the pin. After a win for Yen on 11th and then Halves on 12th shortish Par 4, Yen won yet another hole on 13th. However, with halved holes on 14 and 15, Gemma eventually won the match with a half on 16th, 3 and 2. For those watching, this match had great interest as the golf was excellent.
Perhaps the 2 most memorable events of the morning were, firstly Yen being unable to get of of the toilet at the Halfway House. After much shouting and banging, advice was given on how the manage the lock, which had been proving temperamental!! The second occurance was that the Olton Lady Captain, Del LAKIN-HALL with Warwickshire Competition Secretary, Margaret SHEEPY got their Buggy stuck in some wet ground on the course, and had to be rescued by the Professional. Del will find it difficult to live this one down during her 2 years of office!!!
Whatever happens this afternoon in the Final, we will have a NEW County Champion - watch this space.
FINAL
The real excitement happened in the Final after the 9th hole, by which they were All Square, having been neck and neck for the Front 9. Victoria MALLETT at 17 was in her first final and was keen to get one over on her older sister Elizabeth, currently on a Golf Scholarship in USA, who had never won the County Championship. For Gemma BRADBURY, this again was her first time playing in this prestigeous tournament. She came to Coventry in September 2014 to take up a Graduate progemme with a company based there, whereupon she joined Coventry Hearsall. Enjoying her time in the area, she has been integrated into the County Training sessions having previously been part of Glamorgan County Golf.
Now back to the golf!! Gemma was first to break ahead on 10th hole scoring a par to win the hole, followed immediately by winning the 11th with a Birdie. They halved the 12th hole in Par 4's and again the shortish Par 3, 13th in 4's, leaving Gemma 2 up. 14 was also halved, but in different ways, Victoria coming in from the left and Gemma from the right. Victoria chipped close and then Gemma matched this with a great bunker shot. The Par 3, 15th saw Victoria hit a great Tee shot landing on the green below the hole, whereas Gemma landed on the front approach having to chip on to the green. Victoria won that hole and was now only 1 down.
On 16th, Gemma's Tee shot landed in a bunker but with a great long bunker shot landing on the green, she was in good shape. Victoria also landed 2nd shot on the green but closer, eventually winning this hole. They were now All Square once again with 2 to play.
Gemma hit her Tee shot to the left and was left only with a chip out, whereas Victoria hit her 2nd shot on to the green. After 3rd shot landing closer to the hole Gemma then missed the putt, leaving Victoria to win this hole - what a turnaround! Both played long Tee shots on 18th with Gemma landing on the green after 3rd shot. Victoria however landed her ball in the back bunker for 3 leaving herself a very difficult shot. She made it though and then sank her putt meaning the she had done it - she was the Warwickshire Ladies' County Champion for 2015
DAY 2 MORNING REVIEW
9 a.m. on Saturday 9th May saw the commencement of the County Championship Knockout stage with 16 competitors in 8 matches in the morning to be followed by 4 matches in the afternoon. Weather was quite cold and windy but at least it was not raining.
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| Toni SHIRLEY and Lisa BARTON |
Out first was Lisa BARTON (Coventry GC) drawn against newcomer to this event Toni SHIRLEY (City of Coventry Brandon Woods GC). The very experienced Lisa soon went ahead and by the 10th hole she was 5 up, with Toni having made an excellent half on the 9th. Toni followed with several more halved holes but eventually she lost out to Lisa 5 and 4.
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| Carol O'HARE and Katrina GANI |
Match 2 saw two Shirley GC members drawn against each other - Katrina GANI and Carol O'HARE. Both played excellent golf on the front 9 with Carol winning the 9th hole with a very good single putt. However this pulled her back to 4 down! Katrina finally won on the 14th hole, 5 and 4. This match was played in great spirit, so much so that Carol caddied for Katrina in the afternoon round.
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| Sarah WYNN and Kelly KNIGHT |
Next out saw Kelly KNIGHT (Stonebridge GC) against Sarah WYNN (Moor Hall GC) with Kelly 2 up after 9 holes having lost the 9th hole. Kelly continued with her winning ways and eventually won the match 5 and 4.
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| Victoria MALLETT and Veroniqe LINTIN |
In the next match, youngster Victoria MALLETT (Sutton Coldfield Ladies GC) played newcomer to the County Championship, Veronique LINTIN. Veronique played an excellent 2nd shot to the 9th green but only managed to halve the hole which left her 3 down. Victoria continued with some excellent golf eventually winning 7 and 5, a really good win.
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| Yen PHAM and Glenda LORAM |
Match 5 was between Yen PHAM (Shirley GC) and Glenda LORAM (Maxstoke Park GC). By the 9th Tee Yen was 4 up, but Glenda managed to win that hole. Yen won holes 10 and 11, halved the 12th and then with a further win on 13th, won the match 6 and 5. Glenda said that she thouroughly enjoyed the experience of this, her first County Championship Knockout, even though she lost her match.
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| Adele MIDDLETON and Claire HOWELLS |
2015 County Champion, Claire HOWELLS (Moor Hall GC) played in the next match and was drawn against Adele MIDDLETON (Coventry GC), another player who was competing for the first time. Adele got off to a good start after a birdie at the first hole and never was down on the front 9, finishing 2 up. 3 down on the 15th Tee, the very experienced Claire pulled back to All square after the 17th hole after a fantastic birdie. Still All Square after 18 holes, they went down the 19th (1st hole) again which Adele won with a birdie (incidentally this was the 4th time she had birdied this hole - 2 on Tuesday and a further 2 today), whilst Claire's putt just lipped out. What a scalp for Adele!
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| Michelle POULSON and Liz GALLAND |
Match 7 once again had a newcomer to the County Championship in Michelle POULSON (Leamington & County GC) and she was drawn against Liz GALLAND (Nuneaton GC), who herself had been away from competitive golf for some time. Long hitting Liz was 3 up after 9 holes and she then lost 10th, won 11th and 12th, eventually winning her match 4 and 3. Again Michelle said she had thoroughly enjoyed this experience and it had spurred her on for the future.
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| Gemma BRADBURY and Annabel EDMUND |
The final match of the morning round saw newcomer to Warwickshire County golf, Gemma BRADBURY (Coventry Hearsall GC) playing against Annabel EDMUND (Stratford-upon-Avon GC). This was a ding dong match on the front 9 with Gemma just ahead, by one hole after the 9th. Gemma raised her game on the back 9 however and as Annabel said later, she made some silly mistakes allowing Gemma to get ahead even more. When she drove out of bounds on the 15th, she realised that the game was slipping away, and Gemma won 4 and 2.
The quarter final pairings are as below for the afternoon round: Lisa BARTON v Katrina GANI; Victoria MALLETT v Kelly KNIGHT: Gemma BRADBURY v Liz GALLAND and Yen PHAM v Adele MIDDLETON, commencing at 1.30 p.m.
DAY 2 AFTERNOON REVIEW
1.30 p.m. came and the weather proved to be a little better and indeed warmer. We were in for some good matches this afternoon and were not disappointed.
First off were Lisa BARTON and Katrina GANI, both recent previous County Champions. This was impecable golf with very few mistakes from either side and with no more than 1 hole difference in the match, leaving them All Square after the 9th hole. By the 16th Katrina was 1 up but not to be outdone, Lisa pulled one back on 17. Both on the green quite close to the hole for three on 18th, Katrina managed to sink her putt for a Birdie four and thus won the match by 1 hole. An excellent start to the afternoons proceedings.
The 2nd match off was between Victoria MALLETT and Kelly KNIGHT. Always having the edge, Victoria had managed to be 5 up by the turn, eventually winning by 7 and 6 on the 12th hole. An excellent win.
Now to the first semi final on Sunday 10th - it will be a battle between the two young players Katrina GANI from Shirley GC and Victoria MALLETT from Sutton Coldfield Ladies GC.
Match 3 saw Gemma BRADBURY drawn against Liz GALLAND. In this match Gemma was 2 up after 9 holes which after the 12th had increased to 4. Undaunted, Liz then managed Birdies on subsequent holes, 13 and 14 to reduce the defecit to 2. On the 15th Liz landed in a bunker with her 2nd shot, came out but was some 30 feet from the hole. Sinking this putt, Liz must have thought that this might give her a chance to win one back but Gemma also holed her putt for a half. Gemma then went on to win the 17th, winning the match 3 and 1. What a fantastic win for this newcomer to Warwickshire.
In the final match of the day, Yen PHAM played Adele MIDDLETON. Again this was an extremely close match, after Adele had previously gone 4 down after 5 holes. She pulled back to just 2 down after the 9th and was ready to make her move, which she did, as by the 13th, she was All Square. Adele won the next 2 holes, quickly losing the following holes to Yen to get, once more back to All Square. By the 18th Tee, Yen was 1 up so all to play for! Adele hit a loose Tee shot, landing between 1st and 18th fairways and with little or no shot available to her, she chipped out on to 18th fairway and then hit a magnificent 7 wood on to the green for 3. Yen meanwhile had played the hole more conventionally, also arriving on the green for 3 and after both 2 putting, they halved the hole, leaving Yen the victor by 1 hole. What a match!
Second semi final for tomorrow morning thus will be between Gemma BRADBURY (Coventry Hearsall GC) and Yen PHAM (Shirley GC).
Day 2 was completed in great spirits by the competitors, enjoying the fact that it did not rain and especially liking the greens, which were a little speedier than Thursday. Forecast looks good for Sunday, so we shouild be in for a treat. Why not come and support the ladies, as I am sure they would appreciate it. Prize Presentation for all of the Competitions will take place in Olton GC Clubhouse on Sunday afternoon at approximately 4.30 p.m.
First Semi Final commences at 9 a.m. closely followed by the second, with the FINAL commencing at 1.30 p.m.
DAY 1 REVIEW
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After the recent weather experienced with high winds and much rain, it was great to wake up to early morning sunshine, which mostly continued throughout the day on this the first day of the 2015 Warwickshire County Championship. Some intermitent light rain came during the morning rounds, and when the sun went behind the clouds, it was quite cold! We were at Olton Golf Club, home club of County Captain, Karen Hearn and they looked after all the players extremely well.
On this day three Competitions were played, with the 36 hole Championship Qualifying competition taking centre stage. 18 holes were played in the morning and afternoon, whereafter the top 16 players with the best Gross score qualified into a seeded draw. They will then commence the knockout stages on Saturday 9th May from 9 a.m.
The Silver Division Medal, which included all first round 20 Net scores of those playing in the 36 holes plus a further 20 players who competed over 18 holes only. Best of the day in the SILVER Division was Penny DAWSON from Shirley Golf Club who carded an excellent Gross 89, Net 70 with Christina KENNEDY from Olton GC, coming in with a Net 72.
Finally, the BRONZE Division Championship was competed for over 18 holes this afternoon in Stableford format, for12 players with a handicap of 20 plus. Ray DAVIES a player from Olton G.C. who scored 32 points off a 27 handicap
The Olton Course had been prepared to a very high standard by the Greens staff, especially as the high winds of the past few days had blown alot of branches down and cleared some trees of blossom. The players enjoyed their rounds, even if in some cases scoring had been quite challenging. County Captain, Karen Hearn thanked the Green Keeper and his Staff for working so hard in getting the course to this standard. She went on to thank the numerous Olton members who had acted as Starters, Caddies, Markers and those who had worked on the Registration Desk during the day, together with the Clubhouse Manager, Caterer, Office Administrator and Professional Shop staff who had all been so helpfull, both in the planning stages and during Day 1. Karen then named the 16 Qualifiers and stated their Start Times and Opponents for Saturday morning's Knockout Round which will commence at 9 a.m.
In summarising the play, particularly for the Qualifying rounds (36 holes), there were a considerable amount of Pars and also several Birdies with the greens so good. Some though found the greens faster than they were used to and this showed in their scores!
To View the Final Results of the Day
Click Here for: Scores for the 36 Hole Qualifying Competition together with Silver Division Medal
Click Here for: Scores for the Bronze Division Championship
Click Here for: The MATCHPLAY Knockout Draw and Results
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