Golf ladies give juniors cash boost at Chichester

A total of 16 teams took part and all teed off with a shotgun start. The ladies from Chichester and East Sussex National took the team prize. Caroline Hawkes, Kathy Donohoe, Jennifer Sherwood, all from Chichester, and Judith Dingle from ESN came in with a score of 63.40.

Other Chi ladies results: Qualifying Stableford - 1 Kim Wells 39, 2 Helen Ball 32, 3 Keeley Poole 31. Non-qualifying Stableford - 1 Bev Seymour 38, 2 Caroline Hawkes 32, 3 Nicky Eastland 31. Lucky Dip - 1 FionaWalsh, Hannah Stephens and secret partner 159; 2 Sue Winterbotham, Lesley Downs & Erica Ellicott 141; 3 Caroline Hawkes, Marilyn Forward, Yvonne Dunckley 137. Hidden Partners - 1 Helen Ball and Bev Seymour 96; 2 Kathy Donohoe and Mary-Lou Litton 91; 3 Lisa Mitchelmore and Caroline Hawkes 86.

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On Pancake Day, Chichester ladies played in a fun competition and held a pancake raffle for the lady captain’s charity which raised £39 for the Cinnamon Trust. The winning team is pictured.

Results: 1 Pauline Beale, Jane Buckley, Wendy Jeffrey 96; 2 Bev Seymour, Lynn Plowman, Lesley Downs 95; 3 Caroline Hawkes, Jean Davies, Hannah Stephens 90.

FELPHAM

Jake Stoneham, a Year 11 student at Felpham Community College, has been selected by Sussex to participate in warm-weather training, culminating in a match against the Portuguese All Stars which took place overseas in Portugal.

He has been playing golf for the county since he was 11 and is on the under-18s team.

Ten of the team, including Stoneham, were chosen to represent Sussex and take part in a golf tournament in Portugal at the end of February, along with ten of the men’s Sussex first team.

As well as receiving training from an England coach, Stoneham played in a number of matches and was chosen for the final big match against a team of Portuguese All Stars and professionals where he played exceptionally well, winning his match and helping secure the overall win for Sussex.

He said: “It was a good trip and great experience. I actually got a hole in one on day two which was brilliant. I have been playing golf since I was nine when my dad got me into it.

“I was one of the younger ones who went to Portugal and felt honoured to have been chosen, and pleased that I did so well!

“I am now looking forward to hopefully qualifying for the England under-16s McGregor Trophy team this summer.”

COWDRAY PARK

After suffering the traumas of Storm Doris in the previous week’s Texas scramble, Cowdray Park seniors faced more gale-force winds when they played their monthly Stableford.

It was a sunny spring-like day marred only by the wind, which seriously affected the scoring. Out of 90 players only sixs returned with scores of par or better, and only six recorded a two.

The best score of the day was 39 points from Mick Fillary, an early starter, while, as the winds subsided later in the morning, only Peter Burton was able to take advantage, coming in with a score of 38 to win division two.

His first eight holes were nothing special, but it was ignited by a birdie two on the ninth for four points followed by further birdies on 11th and 12th for another eight points, helping him to a back nine total of 22 points.

Veteran Des White showed his younger colleagues how to play the conditions with 38 points as well, losing top place in division two only on countback.

In division one, consistent John Newman filled second place with 38 from Peter Hallt and Phil Harrison on 37 while Paul Owen on 36 completed the group of six who scored par or better.

Last month’s winner, Peter Clarke, shrugged off his three-shot handicap reduction to return a commendable 34, while just ahead of him on 35, was the reliable Richard Burden. Jor Berzak came in with 36.

Mike Hughes expressed his gratitude for the £166 raised for his chosen charity via the raffle.

There is a six-week gap until the next competition, signalling the start of the inter-club matches, which start at Blackmoor tomorrow (March 10).

This will give plenty of opportunities for the large number of new members to sample the camaraderie of these matches on excellent courses.

Leading scores, Div 1 - 39 Mick Fillary; 38 John Newman; 37 Peter Hallt, Phil Harrison; 36 Paul Owen. Div 2 - 38 Peter Burton, Des White; 36 - Joe Berzak; 35 Richard Burden; 34 Peter Clarke, Brian Carpenter. Twos - Peter Burton (2), Phil Harrison, Paul Owen, Brian Carpenter, David Tilley and Mick Folkes.

* Cowdray ladies competed in the Syrett Cup. The competition is a Stableford played with only three clubs and a putter.

The winner was Sonia Burden with a creditable score of 33 points. Jo Fife was runner-up with 32, on countback from Ann Tyrrell.

CHRIS McDONNELL COLUMN

Dustin Johnson of the USA has become the new No1 male golfer in the world.

What I find amazing about this achievement is that when Johnson first broke through on to the PGA tour, there were plenty of critics who questioned his swing technique. Many people felt his unorthodox swing might not hold up in the heat of battle.

Johnson has let his results do the talking and his recent stats prove his swing is very effective. He has finished in the top ten in five events on the PGA tour this season, is second best for driving distance off the tee and is fifth most consistent on the greens.

It’s clear Dustin has the all-round game and it doesn’t matter how it looks – he is getting the job done.

When we compare the top four players in the world at the moment – Johnson, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson – we can see they all swing the club in different ways.

This proves that everyone finds a way that works well for them and being able to achieve success comes down to having a consistent, repeatable technique, perfect or not.

On a personal level, I will be competing in the Sunningdale Foursomes this month (March 14 to 17), a prestigious doubles event that attracts the likes of Sam Torrance, Paul Lawrie, Tommy Fleetwood and other Tour players.

I’m really looking forward to the event as I love both the Old and New courses at the prestigious Berkshire venue. It will be a good warm-up tournament before I start competing on the south region circuit this season.

Golf At Goodwood have a terrific representation at Sunningdale this year, with our ambassador Marco Penge teaming up with his girlfriend Sophie Lamb to defend the title they won last year.

General Manager Stuart Gillett is also playing and he partners Ladies’ European Tour player Holly Aitchison. Holly is another of our ambassadors, as is Toby Tree, who is also taking his place in the tournament line-up.

With a total of five representatives in the competition, hopefully the trophy will return to Goodwood. You can use the hashtag #TeamGoodwood to follow our progress at Sunningdale and throughout the season.

* Chris McDonnell is academy manager at Golf at Goodwood. Email him at [email protected] or follow @goodwood_golf on Twitter

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