It was a tight match as the Sundridge Park Trophy Team won 'our' Trophy for the second time in three years, in the final played against Lamberhurst at Mid Kent Golf Club on Tuesday.
Paddy O'Connor secured a vital half, and after a very closely contested match overall, the team eventually were victorious by the score of 4.5 - 3.5.
Many congratulations to the winning team of Mark Peache, David Blair, Dave Spooner, Trevor Heath, Daren Moseley, John Heywood, Paddy O'Connor and Bill Wardrope not forgetting Keith Elvin, Alan Westhead, Michael O'Rourke, Paul Abbott and Bernie Rowland who played in some of the earlier matches.
Here are the before and after photo's from Mid Kent:
Two glorious days of weather greeted contestants from all over the UK with one golfer from Belgium as they battled for the Waterford Trophy over 72 holes (36 on the East Thursday, 36 on the West Friday).
Going into the final round
Liam Burns (Chiselhurst GC),
Tom Plum (Sherborne GC) and
Ross McCarthy (Bush Hill Park GC) were tied on -2.
McCarthy eventually fell away with a 73 and it was
Liam Burns took the title with a 67 in the afternoon to pip
Tom Plumb who shot a 68 to finish in a runner-up.
A very well done to
Christine &
John Ross who won the Bank Holiday mixed competition with 39pts. Runners-up were
Julie &
Stephen Richardson on countback from
Tony Johnson &
Kim Morris, both pairs having shot 38pts.
With just one month to go until this year's Ryder Cup and the team is now confirmed. European captain Darren Clarke's three Ryder Cup picks are Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Thomas Pieters. I suppose we could have picked Lee Westwood based on his past experience and his performance in the majors this year.
Could Clarke have done anything but pick Thomas Pieters after he request he play with him in last week's Made in Denmark event where Pieters shot a first round -8 under par and then went on to win the tournament? This came on the back of his 4th place finish at the Rio Olympic games.
Martin Kaymer's selection however could been seen as the one debatable one, but if you recall he did hole the winning putt in 2012 and has valuable experience.
So a mix of youth and experience seems to be the case here with 6 (six) rookies on the European side. Let's hope we can look forward to some more great golf just as we saw at Medinah Country Club in 2012 when it was last in America.
Masters champion Danny Willett will tee it up in Switzerland this week for the 70th European Masters sponsored by Omgea and the Englishman is joined on the start sheet by a host of star players, including Lee Westwood, Chris Wood, Alex Noren, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Bryson DeChambeau.
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Developing your match play mentality
In the lead up to this year's Ryder Cup we thought we'd share three top tips to help you become a better match play golfer. Some of you hardened match play stalwarts probably have a few tricks up your sleeve. Nonetheless, here's our top three:
1. Control your body language
Reacting badly to a poor shot will fill your opponent with confidence. You need to give the impression that you're in control, so take time between shots to collect yourself and focus on emitting positive body language.
2. Expect to hole out
You should expect to hole out - always. If you're expecting gimmes, this is something a canny opponent will pick up on. A positive attitude to holing out is the way forward.
3. Consider the situation There's no point in playing the safe option if your opponent has stuck one in close. Likewise, if they've found water with their approach, for example, why go on the attack? Play for the middle of the green and a safe two-putt will normally do the job.
These tips may sound simple, but in the heat of battle it's easy to forget what match play is all about.
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