Guinness the cream of the crop in PGA Tankard

Mourne Golf Club News

12 July 2024

By Conor Keenan

Low scores were the staple of Sunday morning on the Royal County Down Championship Links as Mark Guinness fired a sensational 42 points to win the annual PGA Tankard competition.

Guinness would outlast a chasing pack of 27 players who would shoot 36 points or better on a pleasant morning in Newcastle, despite the odd heavy shower. An immaculate golf course presented to players comes as no surprise to Mourne members, but relatively light winds in the early morning proved a change of pace from the blustery conditions faced by competitors since the beginning of the summer – and were reflected in the scoring.

Par 5 scoring would prove key to Guinness’ success, playing the three Par 5s in just +1, while a birdie two on the 14^th gave him momentum for a strong finish down the closing stretch of holes.

John Cunningham and Dermot Hawkins would both finish one stroke behind the winner, one stroke ahead of a host of names landing on the 40-point mark. Michael Hazzard, Paul Boden, Paul Doyle Matty Davey and Marty Brown all broke the 40-point barrier and will consider themselves unlucky not to land a top three finish despite wonderful scoring.

Peter Murphy was one of four players who finished one shot further back on 39 points. Murphy carded a sensational eagle on the Par 4 9^th hole, holing out from the fairway with his approach shot as part of a stellar performance of golf.  It would be his second two in three holes after an impressive birdie on the Par 3 7^th.

Paul Boden would shoot the lowest gross score of the day, firing in a +3 round of 74.

The relatively calm conditions experienced on Sunday were not replicated last Thursday, with strong winds upping the already lofty difficulty levels of the Championship Links. Unsurprisingly, the low scores of Sunday were not to be matched, with just three players shooting 36 points or better.

Two players playing alongside each other would separate from the field as Danny Williamson (41 points) pipped Conor Keenan (40 points) to victory.

Returning home from University in Edinburgh for the summer, Williamson caught fire on the back nine, rolling in a birdie on the 10^th before six more pars in the remaining eight holes.

Keenan’s double bogey on the 15^th meant he had to chase down Williamson on the final hole and despite carding a birdie on the Par 5 18^th, his efforts would fall short after Williamson’s spectacular pitch shot from the right rough set up a straightforward two-putt for the one stroke victory.

Mourne’s regular Thursday stableford sweep continues this week before an important fixture in the schedule lands this Sunday – the July Medal sponsored by Graham Construction.