As the trees reluctantly release the leaves with which they have been clothed all year and the days get shorter and the nights colder, Alliance members played their final outing of the year on the Old Links at Ballyliffin yesterday before putting their clubs into storage for hibernation until February 2017.
With the strong, gusting wind making conditions very difficult for all but a few players, the wintry showers, flecked with hailstones, made them glad that they would not have to return until February.
The main player on the day, as it has been all year was, once again, the teaching Professional from North West Golf Club, Brian McElhinney, as his game just gets better and better.
Brian has always had an exceptional short game with very few, if any, matching him from one hundred yards in and he once again showed this exceptional skill on a most difficult day for playing golf. Having been one [1] under after nine holes with the help of a birdie at the difficult 3rd, horror of horrors [for him], he dropped a stroke at the 13th!
That seemed to sting him for he then birdied 14th and 15th, parred 16th and 17th before finishing his round with a flourish by recording another birdie at the par five 18th, completing his round in 68 shots, three [3] under par.
This is the fourth time in succession that Brian has returned under par rounds and has dropped only two strokes in 72 holes of golf with that being on four different courses and is now fourteen [14] under par in total.
The nearest opponent to Brian on the day was again Michael McGeady who also was one under par for his front nine but an unfortunate double bogey at 11th, followed by a triple bogey at the most difficult 15th where he lost a ball off the tee, had him in tentative mood until he had a heart-warming birdie at 18th to finish on three [3] over par.
To show the high standard of golf that these two teaching professionals attain to, Michael had recorded three birdies in his round of golf also.
Strabane Golf Club members again dominated the Nett section with only Eugene Corry from Newtownstewart GC stopping them making a clean sweep as it was Eddie Mc Hugh taking top spot and demoting his clubmate and current Alliance Captain Odran McGettigan into runner-up position.
Odran took the turn with 18pts on his card and Eddie on 17pts with Odran increasing his lead to 21pts after ten holes but after 11th it was all square. Through 13th Odran was again two points ahead but again by 14th it was ‘evens’ as Odran blanked that hole and it was on 16th that Eddie applied the ‘coup-de-gras’ by recording a magnificent birdie to take a one point lead for the first time in the round which he held onto until the end.
Full results as follows:
Nett Section:
1st Eddie McHugh (17) Strabane Golf Club 36 pts
2nd Odran McGettigan (26) Strabane Golf Club 35 pts
3rd Eugene Corry (10) Newtownstewart Golf Club 34 pts [b.o.t].
4th Kevin Keegan (19) Strabane Golf Club 34 Pts
Gross Section:
1st Brian McElhinney (+3) North West Golf Club 68gr.
2nd Michael McGeady (+2) SDgolfacademy.com 74gr.
3rd Ben Corry (6) Strabane Golf Club 81gr. [b.o.t].
4th Sean Bridge (6) North West Golf Club 81gr.
“2”s: D.Montgomery; G.Harkin; B. Wallace; R.Curran; C.Davison.
In the ‘Golfer of the Year’ Nett section Brian McElhinney, playing off +3, is on 25pts, Odran McGettigan is hot in pursuit on 21pts with Kevin Keegan on16pts.
In the Gross section, it is again Brian McElhinney with a shallow lead of 15pts from Michael McGeady’s 14pts and with Stevie Martin third on 11pts.
The Alliance goes into cold storage now until the fourth [4th] of February 2017 when members will reappear to play for the prestigious St. Patrick’s Plate at Rosapenna Golf Club.
A Merry Christmas and a fruitful new year to all from Alliance Captain Odran, Hon. Secretary Barry and P.R.O. Eamonn who also wish everyone all that they would wish for themselves in 2017.
