Chris Boughton's Golf Column: Dixon gets her club champ hat-trick
There were impressive winning scores in the Thetford GC Ladies’ Club Championship on May 25 and 28, with Jess Dixon leading the qualifiers in the scratch competition for the third year running whilst 12-year-old Nellie Ong was a runaway winner of the handicap trophy.
Jess had been leading qualifier with 157 in 2018 and 151 in 2017 and she improved on that with 76+74=150. That gave three-handicap Jess a nett total of four-under-par 144 but Nellie Ong was eight strokes better than that off her handicap of 13 with nett scores of 66+70=136.
Jess saw her handicap cut to two, while Nellie, whose first club is at Eaton, also faces a cut in handicap – and all before her 13th birthday next month.
The top eight players from the 36-hole Strokeplay event qualify for the Matchplay knock-out, with Jess bidding for her fifth Ladies’ Championship title after her wins in 2012, 2013, 2015 & 2018.
Ladies’ Vice-Captain Sue Pitcher was third with 84+88=172 off her handicap of 11. The Matchplay draw is therefore: Jess Dixon v Wendy Puttock, Nellie Ong v Carolyn Beaumont, Sue Pitcher v Heather Keeble, Jan Bone v Sue Saunders.
The Julia Leeson Trophy, a Stableford competition for higher handicappers held alongside the second round of the qualifying event, was won by Vicki Smith with 39pts off a handicap of 23.
Thetford’s May Midweek Medal was won by five-handicap Gareth Mills with a fine score of nett 69, five shots better than runner-up Richard Alger with 82-9=73.
Jason Huggins took third on count-back from Robert Bentley, with both scoring nett 74.
The NCGU Coronation Salvers were held at Thetford and former Thetford pair Jack Yule and Giles Evans carried off the trophy.
The two newly qualified professionals led the way with 38pts in the better-ball Stableford competition.
Bawburgh golf manager Andrew Gooch and his wife Jill were runners-up with 37, pipping Warren Blackwell and Bernie Vaughan on countback.
Mark Allen & Sharon Allen (Eaton) were fourth with 36.
Bury St Edmunds Golf Club
More than 150 members took part on both Saturday and Sunday in competitions in the annual captains’ weekend at the Bury GC.
The weather could not have been better and the leading scores in all five events were impressive.
There was a birdie-fest in the Men’s Medal on Saturday with two-handicapper Ben Coleman recording five in his winning round of 69-2=67.
Second-placed Craig Nurse carded 70-2=68 and included six birdies in his impressive but rollercoaster return.
Both will play off a handicap of one next time out.
Daniel Kaye was also cut from 10 to 9 handicap after his round of 79-10=69 which included four birdies, in third place.
In the Ladies’ Stableford, also on Saturday, Bianca Theeruth score 40 points for top spot followed by Pam Madams, Rosalind Gordon and Wendy Flack, in countback order, on 38pts.
Harry McKeown topped the Juniors’ Stableford with 35 points.
On Sunday the Ladies’ Four-Ball-Better-Ball was won by Eileen Bonney and Linda Smailes with 44pts and the Men’s event went to Garry Clarke and Stewart Chapman with 45.
There were competitions aplenty at the Bury Club last week including Adam Gaught beating Norman Salmon on countback to win the Wednesday Stableford with both scoring 41pts.
Adam Crane’s 40pts was the best score in the Friday competition and Joan Hogarth came out on top with a nett 69 in the Ladies’ Friday Medal.
Suffolk Ladies Golf Association
Suffolk County Captain Vicki Inglis has announced her team to travel to Aspley Guise GC, in Bedfordshire, for the County Match week (June 21-25).
The team includes two members of Bury St Edmunds Golf Club; Suffolk Matchplay champion Alice Barlow and rising star Georgia Parker who is this year’s Junior County Captain.
Suffolk kick off their county week with a match against Norfolk on Monday, June 17, followed by Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire on successive days.
Suffolk reached the final in 2017 and are hoping to go one better this year.
The Suffolk Golf Club
Jim Chapman leads the Midweek Order of Merit after his first place in the latest Wednesday Qualifier at the Club last week.
His nett 70 off his 12-handicap was one shot better than Dave King (88-17=71) with Club President Peter Plumb in third spot (93-21=72).
Chapman has 31 points at the top of the league after four of the 13 rounds, followed by Plumb with 24.
There was also a Medal on Saturday where James Laflin took top spot with a fine nett 68 from his handicap of 12. Chris Tate took second place with 76-5=71 and leads the Saturday Order of Merit with 21 points. Brian Wiltorn lies second with 17.
The Suffolk have announced the line-up for the second annual Fairways-Fest event which will be held at the club on Sunday, August 4, from 3-9pm. Families are welcome and entry is free, with donations and raffle in aid of the cardiac unit at West Suffolk Hospital.
Line up – LIFT the WSH Choir, Ollie Smith Musical Theatre, Steve Christopher Folk Band, Rock Choir, Dom Absolon Band, Chedburgh Community Choir, Run For Cover and Feed Your Head. Barbecue available or bring a picnic.
