Matthew scoops best prize of the season

The competition this year is sponsored by Srixon Golf and the top prize is the best prize of the entire season.

That is provided the winner has a good enough score to qualify.

The top 16 winning scores from clubs throughout the UK will be invited to play at Celtic Manor, the home of the 2010 Ryder Cup.

Jason was hoping and praying for a very low score and his wishes were granted.

Matthew Mallon, playing off a six handicap, had an absolutely fabulous round of golf.

This talented and likeable young man opened his round with four straight birdies.

He then parred the fifth and birdied the sixth.

He then parred every hole from the seventh to the thirteenth.

He eagled the par five fourteenth and then birdied the fifteenth. He finished with three more pars.

Read that paragraph again. Are you not amazed?

Matthew went round in 61 shots, eught under par.

His winning score was a nett 55, which equates to 50 stableford points.

In the space of three weeks, we have had a net 56 from Jim Cochrane, a nett 57 from B.J. McAnarney and now, to cap it all, a nett 55 from Matthew Mallon. Can you believe it?

Young Matthew Doyle (19) was the runner-up with a nett 60.

Matthew’s father was second the previous Saturday with a nett 61.

Matthew was tired listening to Donald talking about his great round so he just went out and shot a better one.

Secretly, Donald was as proud as Punch.

Colin McDonald (16) was third with a nett 61.

That would be a winning score nine times out of ten but not this year.

Barry Tumelty (5) won the best gross prize with a level par 69. He is a talented lad, is our Barry.

He plays little or no golf all winter. Come the week after the Masters, he picks up his clubs and shoots level par.

The prize for the best senior went to a man enjoying a purple patch, namely Jim Cochrane (12). He had a nett 63.

But all the talk was about Matthew Mallon and his sensational 61 gross, nett 55.

He is a certainty to qualify for Celtic Manor and nobody deserves it more.