Strokeplay Winners- Luke Hodgetts (Maplesden Bowl and Cole Scuttle Champion), David Porter (Mid Am Champion)
The County Strokeplay Championships took place at the stunning Liphook GC on Sunday 20th September, with the second playing of the Maplesden Bowl held at a fitting venue, being the long-standing home club of Keith Maplesden.
The players were greeted by a bright and slightly breezy day at the wonderful heathland course, which was presented, as always, in immaculate condition. The morning scoring proved tough, with the slick greens proving tricky to navigate. First Team player Sam De’Ath was the only player to break par, posting a round of 69 (-2). Luke Hodgetts was hot on his heels with a level-par round, while a handful of other challengers remained within a few shots of the lead.
The afternoon played out with Luke Hodgetts remaining consistent, carding a round featuring a mixture of birdies and bogeys. Needing a birdie on the 18th to finish under par for the day, Luke rolled in a smooth putt to set the clubhouse target at -1.
Sam De’Ath was the only player who could match that total, but his birdie putt on the 18th just slid by in the fading evening light, leaving the pair tied at the top. With insufficient daylight remaining to hold a play-off, the winner was decided by card countback, with Luke Hodgetts taking the Maplesden Bowl after recording the better second round.
David Porter, our U16 Manager and a +2 handicapper, also put together two solid rounds of 72 and 74. His combined score was enough to secure the Mid-Amateur Championship by two shots from Darren Walkley.
The strokeplay also marks the culmination of this years Mens Order Of Merit which saw Rob Wheeler become the first player to ever win the series 3 times in a row by less than 3 points over Joe Buenfeld, our County Champion. You can view the OOM final standings by clickingHERE.
Full scores from the strokeplay can be viewed by clickingHEREand selecting the ‘Results’ tab.