Hillen Mourne’s Golfer of the Year in 2023

Mourne Golf Club News

09/10/23

By Paul Gallagher

By the close of play on another action-packed season at Mourne Golf Club, one golfer stood out from the rest as Barry Hillen was a deserving winner of the prestigious Golfer of the Year title for 2023.

Never mind the consistency of play all season, it was Hillen’s haul of trophies at the season-ending prizegiving that reminded everyone of the great year the four-handicapper enjoyed.

There was rarely a week when Hillen’s name didn’t feature near the business end of competition leaderboards. He’d put the work in with dedicated sessions at the range and his efforts bore fruit when he landed several of the season’s major titles, such as the Annesley Cup and Speedy Cup before going on to receive the Golfer of the Year trophy.

“I’m delighted to have won this year’s Golfer of the Year title, it’s one that I’ve been chasing for a few years now and have come close on occasion, but never won,” said a delighted Hillen after the presentation.

“I’ve been playing competitively for several years but made the decision 18 months ago to put more time into my practice in addition to involvement in the regular club and inter-club competitions.

“There is no big secret, I regularly use the practice facilities such as the putting greens and warm-up areas at Royal County Down to try and improve my game. Course management has also played a part in my recent success, making a greater effort to eliminate those double bogeys!

“It’s great to see the improvement over the last 18 months, plus I enjoy the game more now. I enjoyed the success over the last six months and hope it continues into next season,” added Hillen.

The presentation of all the annual cups and trophies took place at the season-ending Annual at Home event recently. As a prestigious event in its own right, there was plenty of stiff competition for the top prize before Brian Gilleece did just enough to come out on top.

Gilleece kept his best golf for last to win with a great score of 38 points. The 11-handicapper won on a countback from Daniel O’Rourke, who also had 38 points to take second. Martin Mallett squeezed into third on 37, the same mark as Brendy Brown in fourth, with Mark Lindsay fifth with 35.

Noel Crawford won the best gross with this two-over 73 in a round that contained four birdies, while Noel Murray won the Veteran’s prize.

-ENDS

Main Pic:
Hillen’s Haul: Barry Hillen receiving the Annesley Cup, the Speedy Cup and Golfer of the Year trophy for 2023 from captain Gareth Malley after his dominant season at Mourne Golf Club.