After an excellent lunch the players went back out in much improving weather for the afternoon round.
There wasn’t much in it as the scores started to come in, In the end just 3 shots separated the
top four players. Craig Hodgson (Guildford GC) took 3rd spot with a 145 total, but only on
count back from Ben Palmer (Reigate Hill), Duncan Hodgson had to settle for runner up with a
144 and coming in with a superb lowest round of the competition, a three under par 68 giving
a total of 142, level for the day was the Surrey Amateur Champion Jacob Aaholm (Reigate Hill).
A double County Champion, a feat achieved by very few people.
The Team event was won by Reigate Hill’s Jacob Aaholm & Ben Palmer with a combined score
of 287, making Jacob a triple County Champion for 2018! In 2nd was Craig Hodgson and Mark
Davis of Guildford with 293 and in 3rd was Dominic Griffiths & Neil Williams with 303.
Our thanks to West Surrey Golf Club for hosting the Championships and making everyone feel
so welcome and presenting the course in such good condition.
Finally, many congratulations to Jacob Aaholm the 2018 Surrey County Mid-Age Champion to
add to the Amateur Championship he won in June!
Seniors’ Championship
After having to cancel the first round of the Championship due to the horrendous weather on
Monday 30th April the 51 players gathered at the now fairly dry Betchworth Park. The greens
staff had done a magnificent job in getting the course ready after 36mm of rain had hit the
course on Monday which meant the first round of the event was cancelled. The championship
was now a straight 18 affair instead of the planned 36 holes with a cut after the first round.
Alongside the main Championship there are two other competitions for the slightly older
gentlemen in the age groups 65-70 and 70+.
The day started with lovely sunshine, but this didn’t last and with a stiff breeze the temperature
certainly didn’t feel like the start of May!
The weather conditions on the day and with the course still wet from Monday’s downpour
there was very little run on the ball, meaning the course played longer than normal, this
certainly didn’t help produce any low scores and the players had to really work hard to get a
decent number on their cards.
In the end a solid 74 from Betchworth Park’s own Christopher Spiller secured the Championship
with two other players only one shot behind with 75’s, on countback Lachlan Deuchar from
Burhill just pipped North Downs Alan Stein for 2nd place.
Mike Wilde (Camberley Heath) won the 65-70 age group with David Jones (Betchworth Park)
winning the 70+
The trophies were presented by Surrey President Jack Buchanan and Betchworth Captain Len Jennings
Our thanks to Betchworth Park Golf Club for hosting the event and to all the staff who looked
after the players and officials so well, making everyone feel so welcome. Our thanks also to the
members who did a wonderful job of being out on the course ball spotting.
Finally thank you to all the Surrey volunteers and County rules officials who spent the day on
the course and at the reception /scoring desk helping to make this event such a great day.
Congratulations to Christopher Spiller who now goes onto to the Surrey representative at the
EG Champions of Champions event later in the year.
Club Foursomes
The 2018 County Club Foursomes Championship was hosted by Farnham Golf Club on a
baking hot Friday, although the fairways were brown due to the recent weather the tees and
greens were in perfect condition for this 36-hole event.
The course was difficult due to the hard conditions and some thick punishing rough for those
who strayed off the fairways. This showed in the scoring with only two pairs, Walton Heaths
Jack Finch & Bailey Osborne and Richard Barnes & Alex Tonge from Burhill, breaking par, both
coming in with excellent 70’s, for two under.
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