It has been a busy week for Tenby Seniors, with two of the section’s ‘major’ competitions taking place within just four days.
Mel Neale Trophy – Tuesday
The week began with the Seniors-only medal, the Mel Neale Trophy. The course was in superb condition, with sunshine all day providing ideal scoring opportunities. Even so, only three players managed to better their handicap, with Tenby’s punishing rough ready to catch out any wayward shots.
Steve Williams looked set for victory until an unexpected nine at the 18th derailed his round, leaving him in 3rd place. Runner-up was Peter Turton, whose driving and putting were described as a pleasure to watch. A triple bogey at the tricky 9th cost him dearly, but he rallied with solid pars on the closing holes to finish on net 68.
The winner, fittingly, was Mel’s cousin Barry Neale, who produced his best round of the season to take the trophy. His net 67 (off 13 handicap) proved just enough for a deserved win. Congratulations to Barry, and thanks to all the seniors who made the day such a success.
Tommy Hutton Bowl – Friday
Friday brought the second ‘major’ of the week: the Tommy Hutton Bowl, a Greensomes Stableford pairs event. With no wind and fast, true greens, scoring conditions were excellent – and any pair failing to reach 40 points was left trailing.
In 3rd place with 42 points were Paul Davies and Meirion Griffiths, who put together an excellent back nine with eight pars. One shot ahead on 44 were Lyndon Miles and David Evans, returning a fine one-over-par round that would normally be enough to claim victory.
But this year belonged to David Rees and Neil Dickinson, whose stunning 49 points blew the field away. Their round featured three birdies, including one holed from a fairway bunker at the 13th, and earned them the nickname “Butch and Sundance”. A truly exceptional performance and a memorable win.
Congratulations to all the winners, and commiserations to the rest of the field who played their part in a superb week of seniors’ golf.
Report by Brian Jones