Luke Woods defeats Rory Madeley in the Haughton Smyth final

Here we have two of the finest match players in the club going head to head.

The final was played last Thursday evening. It started in broad daylight and finished in near darkness.

Rory took the lead at the first but Luke hit back with wins at the 2nd and fourth and went 1 up.

A birdie from Rory at the seventh squared the match and it stayed that way until the 11th.

Rory won the 11th and also the 13th to go two up with five to play. It was still that way going into the dreaded last four holes.

Could Rory hold onto his lead? That was the big question.

The answer was “no”.

Luke won the 15th with a par and the 16th with a birdie. How fortunes can change! It was now all square going into the last two holes.

Rory 3-putted the 17th to lose the hole. That’s easily done on the two-tiered slippery 17th green. Luke had a one up lead with only the 18th to play.

Luke got his par three and Rory couldn’t better it.

It was a brilliant match and Luke was a deserving winner.

It was a poignant moment for Luke as his late father, Trevor, had won the Haughton Smyth Cup last year.

Your father would be so proud of you, Luke, that’s for sure.

- Jason Greenaway, the Banbridge golf club professional, took Neil Comiskey and Jane Doyle to Dunmurry Golf Club last week for the Ulster I.P.G.A. Tankard final. It was a wonderful experience for both players and the really good news is that Neil Comiskey won the men’s event with a superb round of 39 points. Now that is something to be proud of! Well done, Neil!