Sundridge Park Club Championships

Inclement weather was a major role over the club championships over the weekend, with the Men's tournament being decided over 18 holes as lightening curtailed the afternoon round and the ladies having tough conditions with torrential rain, thereby making the Sunday a very challenging day to play 36 holes.

After many close calls, Dan Dring can add Club Champion at Sundridge Park to his impressive CV. A level par 71 took the top spot in the Bill Marriott Scratch Championship from runner-up Tom Beaumont who shot 72 (+1). Sam Keevill was third with a 74 (+3), Billy Walton was fourth with a 77 (+6).

 The Lightfoot Handicap Trophy was a very close affair With countback deciding the first three places with Jack Edge taking the first prize, Jon Bromley the runner-up spot with Ben Price third after all shooting nett 68's.James Allen was fourth with a nett 69.

It was a good day on Sunday for Ainee O'Connor as a very solid gross total of 147 (+4) to win the Galbraith Scratch Championship from runner-up Kim Morris who shot 152 (+9). Ainee took the top prize in the Todd Salver handicap competition with a nett score of 141. Sophie Bargeron was the runner-up with 143 nett, with Nancy O'Connor third with a nett 150. 

The Cowie/Speed trophy was won by Betty Huggan, the Poulter trophy was won by Lyn Baimbridge and the SilverHandicap prize by Christine Ross.


Royal Blackheath Trophy

In the 2nd round of the Royal Blackheath Trophy, Sundridge Park were at home to Cherry Lodge. The visitors provided a very strong team in what proved to be a titanic battle.

At half way Sundridge Park were behind in most of the matches but fought hard to turn things round on the back nine. Six of the eight matches finished on the 18th green. The match was decided on the last green of the last match with a win for Sundridge Park giving them a victory by 5-3.

A battling performance by the team of James Horgan, Roger Oliver, John Davidson, Geoff Sandford, Peter Long, Dave Mace, Peter Meehan and Brian Chessum.

The semi-final will be away at West Kent or Lamberhurst.


 

The 2016 US Open Championship is upon us, with the world's top players descending upon Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania to contest the year's second Major. 

But who will prevail? It takes a certain type of player - and a certain type of skill set - to win what has rightfully come to be known as the most difficult tournament of the year. 

Below, we take a look at the seven favourites (as listed by the major bookmakers) and assess their chances of US Open glory…

Jason Day 

In my mind, Jason Day is the man to beat. He is in every tournament, you might say. Well yes, that's true (to an extent), but it's his combination of physical and mental tools that make him such a clear favourite. Oakmont is a devilishly difficult golf course (five-over-par was the winning total in 2007, and it's been lengthened since then) so those with power, and more importantly strong minds, will likely come out on top. Day has both of those attributes in abundance. Oh, and he's also won seven of his last 18 tournaments.

Jordan Spieth 

Jordan Spieth is right up there with Day in terms of sheer willpower and determination. He finds a way of getting the ball in the hole and refuses to be beaten, which is absolutely critical to success at the US Open. It may seem as if Spieth is struggling a bit with his ball striking - a product of his enormous expectation levels - but he ranks 18th in Strokes Gained: off-the-tee and 16th in Strokes Gained: tee-to-green. 

He's the defending champion, he's already won twice this year and his short-game statistics are very strong, too. When you hole as many 25 to 30-footers as Spieth does, you always have a chance in the Majors, as it's so difficult to get close to flags and lengthy par attempts are more commonplace than in other events.

Rory McIlroy 

Of the Big Three, Rory McIlroy is the player I'd least expect to win. That might sound strange given the state of his game - he won the Irish Open a couple of weeks ago, he finished fourth at last week's Memorial Tournament and he leads the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: off-the-tee - but I don't think he's particularly suited to events where you have to grind. 

You might argue that he's won a US Open before, but on that occasion he set 11 scoring records and finished 72 holes on 16-under-par. That simply won't happen at Oakmont. In his four Major successes, McIlroy has shot in the range of 13- to 17-under-par. He's many things, but he doesn't boast the dogged, tenacious qualities possessed by Day and Spieth.

Dustin Johnson 

On paper, Dustin Johnson has a great chance, although his daily scoring average statistics are a cause for concern. He ranks second for day-one scoring and first for day-two scoring, but 107th for final-round scoring. That suggests he plays his best golf when the pressure is off, which it certainly isn't at a Major. He's competed in so many of golf's big events and failed to get over the line on a number of occasions, most notably at last year's US Open, when he missed a three-foot putt on the final green. 

That said, he keeps putting himself in position, and he boasts a marked advantage over most of the field at Oakmont through his combination of length and accuracy off the tee. He's not that high in the driving accuracy stats, but everyone who's watched Johnson knows that he's finds a lot of fairways when he's in the groove. What's more, his long-game statistics are hugely impressive. He's in the top five in the Strokes Gained: off-the-tee, Strokes Gained: tee-to-green, Strokes Gained: total, Driving Distance and Birdie Average categories, and he's a better putter than he's given credit for. And, if there's any Major that isn't a putting competition, it's the US Open.

Justin Rose 

As it stands, Just Rose's status in the field remains doubtful, owing to a recurring back issue. Still, he hasn't withdrawn as yet, and that's a good thing, because Oakmont should be a perfect golf course for him. Rose generally performs very well on tough golf courses, and they don't get harder than Oakmont. He's relentlessly solid from tee to green and hits so many greens in regulation (he's currently ranked second in Strokes Gained: tee-to-green and fourth in Strokes Gained: off-the-tee). Plus, he boasts a very good short game. 

The US Open is a tournament that can mask putting deficiencies if you're a good ball striker, which is good news for Rose. That said, you still need to hole the vast majority of your putts from six feet and in to win a Major Championship, and you just can't see him doing that on current form. Still, Rose has recorded top tens in four of his last five Majors, and, impressively, hasn't finished outside the top 27 in one of golf's big four events since the 2013 Open Championship.

Rickie Fowler 

Rickie Fowler has successfully transitioned from a boisterous youngster with obvious yet unfulfilled to talent to one of the best golfers in the world. In the last 12 months, he's won four big events - the Players Championship, the Scottish Open, the Deutsche Bank Championship and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. 

The world number five is another player who's excellent from tee to green - he's long, and his mid-to-long iron play is superb. He's answered questions about substance; all that's now left to achieve is to land one of golf's big titles. He's missed his last two cuts - at the Players and the Memorial - but he preceded those with a tie for fourth at the Wells Fargo Championship, so I'm not overly concerned.

Adam Scott 

Adam Scott is in a category with Day, McIlroy and Johnson as the best ball strikers in the world, so it's a surprise he only has one Major Championship victory to his name. The Australian doesn't have a great record in the US Open, but recent performances give cause for optimism. After 12 consecutive US Opens without a top-ten finish (including six missed cuts) Scott finished tied for 9th in 2014 and tied for 4th at Chambers Bay last year. 

His ball striking rightfully puts him in the favourites category, and his stats so far this season are exemplary - he ranks first in Strokes Gained: approach-the-green and Strokes Gained: tee-to-green and second in Strokes Gained: total. His chipping and putting figures are below average, but he putted very well earlier this season in his back-to-back victories at the Honda Classic and the WGC-Cadillac Championship, so we know he's capable.

Brandon Grace 

After coming so close last year at Chambers Bay, Branden Grace cannot be ruled out of one of the toughest tests in golf Oakmont. This man is the most imaginative putters in golf and with the greens being the ultimate challenge he is well armed to make another run at the championship this year. He would be my outsider, and if there is some wind this week with his low ball flight he will be a contender.

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