County title first for Steven
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THERE was a lower than usual entry for the County Championship held at Wick last Saturday despite good golfing conditions.
Only 17 golfers entered the competition of whom only four were not from the host club – two from Lybster and two from Reay – and none from Thurso.
With the course in good order there were some excellent scores with Gordon Steven jnr from the host club taking his first county title.
He recorded a four-over-par 142 to win the competition by a staggering nine shots from John Harper, also from the Wick club.
Steven has been playing well this season and he took the competition by the scruff of the neck with a morning round of 71, going out in 36 and back in 35 with birdies at the third and 17th hole to lead by two strokes from Nicky Klimas. He struggled on the outward nine in the afternoon, going out in three-over-par 38, but with the wind at his back he stormed home in 33 with a birdie at the 10th and finished in style with birdies at the last two holes.Harper had rounds of 75 and 76.
The handicap section was a close-run affair with greenkeeper James Taylor (7) claiming first spot with a two-round nett total of 139, beating Alex Anderson (9), also from the host club, by one stroke. The seeds of Taylor’s success were sown with a terrific first-round 74, a nett 67. He took 37 for both halves which included a birdie at the 17th.
Taylor played well in the afternoon to go out in 38 with all going well until the 17th hole where he had a horrendous quadruple bogey to limp home in 41.
Anderson was the model of consistency with a nett 71 in the morning followed by a net 69 in the afternoon.
The morning CSS was 70 and the afternoon 71.
