Global Golf Post: UK and Ireland

Ireland secured their fourth succes-
sive Senior Home Internationals title
in the sunshine Thursday on the final
day at Woodhall Spa when they beat
England 7-2, while Scotland consigned
Wales to the wooden spoon with a
7½-½ beating.
The victory not only maintained
Ireland’s place as the strongest senior
side but saw them gain revenge for
their defeat by England in last year’s
European Seniors Team Championship
final at Fairhaven.
It was a jubilant Irish captain Barry
Doyle who accepted the trophy once
again and said: “It was a fantastic
performance. As usual we did a lot of
sweating out there this afternoon but I
feel the foundation was laid in the four-
somes this morning.
“To take two-and-a-half points was
superb but after nine holes this af-
ternoon England came back well. But
we responded and ran out convincing
winners.”
Conversely, it was a disappointed
England captain Richard Palmer who
said: “It wasn’t the result we wanted. It
was a disappointing finish to the week
but we let ourselves down in the four-
somes. To take only half a point left us
a lot to do against a team as strong as
Ireland.”
RUTHERFORD EGU COUNTY CHAMPION
Jamie Rutherford made it a
Hertfordshire double when he shot a
closing 66 to complete a sensational
victory in the County Champions Tour-
nament and collect the Presidents Bowl
at Woodhall Spa Sunday.

CHRISTINE SENIOR LADIES CHAMPION
Former England international
hockey player Felicity Christine won the
Senior Ladies’ British Open Amateur
Championship Thursday after a final
round full of twists and turns at Belvoir
Park Golf Club in Belfast.
The lead changed hands several
times and for a spell it looked like there
would be a play-off featuring three,
maybe four players. But Christine, who
did not take up golf until she was 30,
and “did not play seriously” until she
was well into her 40s, made the fewest
mistakes of all the contenders.
In the final analysis, that was the
crucial factor in a 54-hole stroke-play
tournament over a testing woodland
course, playing long and in weather
that got better every day after a very
windy and wet opening day. The par
was 72 and the CSS 75 (Reduction
Only), 75 and 73, which gives an indi-
cation of the severity of the challenge
for the best over-50 lady golfers in
Great Britain and Ireland and another
dozen countries.

CAMERON CAPTURES SENIORS TITLE
Cameron seems to be the name
constantly in the news these days and
Doug Cameron, a Scot from Hertford-
shire, added to the influx when he won
the inaugural Seniors County Champi-
ons Tournament at Woodhall Spa.
A closing round of 78 for 155 left him
a stroke ahead of England senior inter-
national Roy Smethurst with Cumbria’s
Peter Jack third on 158. Kent’s Dave
Jessup, who shared the overnight lead
with Cameron, slipped to an 85 for 162
and joint seventh spot.
to read more.
SAMUELS, TOWNEND WIN GRAND FINAL
Gavin Samuels of England fired a
final-round 68 to come from six shots
behind and win the 15th Faldo Series
Grand Final at Lough Erne Resort in
Northern Ireland Wednesday. England’s
Brogan Townend won the girls’ title
while players from Slovakia and Ireland
were also among the winners.
The 20-year-old Samuels (Leigh-
ton Buzzard) carded eight birdies in a
4-under-par 68 to finish on 6 over and
five ahead of English duo Cameron
Long and Adam Andrews. Overnight
leader Jordan Smith, 18, who started
five ahead of the field and six ahead
of Samuels, struggled to an 80 and
finished fourth.
The 17-year-old Townend (Pleas-
ington) was crowned Faldo Series
Girls’ Champion following an impres-
sive final-round 71. Natalia Heckova
(Welten), 15, finished two shots behind
to win the Girls’ Under- 16 title and be-
come the first champion from Slovakia.
Ireland’s Gavin Moynihan (The Island)
led the local challenge to take the Boys’
Under-18 title. Overall runner-up Long
(Drayton Park) was crowned winner of
the Boys’ Under- 16 division.
Faldo Series champions Samuels
and Townend will be offered a start in a
professional tour event. They will also be
invited by Faldo to the sixth Asia Grand
Final at Mission Hills Golf Club in China
next March, as will Moynihan, Long and
Heckova.
to read more.
FOUR SHARE JUNIOR COUNTY HONORS
Two years ago, the English Golf
Union’s Junior County Champion Tour-
nament ended in a three-way tie. This
time, the juniors went one better with
four players sharing the title on 148,
2-over par, after an often brutal day on
the Hotchkin course at Woodhall Spa
on Saturday.
The quartet – Greg Payne from Sur-
rey, Jevann Parmar from Leicester-
shire and Rutland, Jack Singh Brar of
Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel
Islands, and Yorkshire’s Matthew Fitz-
patrick – couldn’t be separated after
36 holes.
Payne set the target after a sec-
ond-round 75 which was matched by
Parmar with 76. Then Brar also fin-
ished on 148 with a level-par 73 before
Fitzpatrick, in the final game out, shot a
second 74.