SOUTHPORT European Tour player Lee Slattery returned to a course he last played as a promising young amateur and a member at Hesketh when he joined almost 100 golfers from around the north west for the prestigious Queenscourt Hospice Trophy at Southport Old Links.
The event, now in its 19th year, was as fiercely contested as ever with teams of three producing some great scores.
After completing his round Slattery said: “It is 15 years since I played the Old Links and I had forgotten just how difficult this course is. The condition of the course, fairways and especially the greens are fantastic.”
Slattery carded level par but, an indication of the standard is that he was placed sixth.
The event started 19 years ago when Old Links lady captain, Eileen Crossland held a one-off golf day to raise a few hundred pounds in aid of the local Queenscourt Hospice, which was then being completed.
The event was so successful that club member and local businessman Eddie Kearns suggested it should be repeated the following year – and it became so popular it had to be moved to a larger course.
Southport & Ainsdale became the hosts until, after a gap year, Eileen’s son Phil – the current Old Links captain – along with Craig Dickinson and dedicated helpers, decided in 2004 to take the trophy back to its original home at the Old Links.
This year’s event was rated as the most successful, the day raising £6,750 which brings the total raised in the past 19 years to more than £120,000.
Team winners: Alan Richardson (SOL president), Mark Segar, Chris Anderson (SOL) 85 points
Runners-up: Ben Pilkington, Carl Meadows, Dave Blackhurst (Design Products Installation of Southport).
Individual winner: J McNeil (Woolton) 39 points
Individual runner up: A Witherup (Hesketh) 39 points.
FREDDY Valenti looked down and out when he trailed three down with five holes to play against Paul Grannell in the Cheshire and North Wales PGA Matchplay Championship at Wilmslow.
But the never-say-die Pryors Hayes professional hit back to square the match then rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the last as Grannell’s eagle chance slipped by.
“I thought I’d had it because my approach shot ended in a bunker and my recovery did not come out as cleanly as I’d hoped,” said Valenti, who went on to settle the issue at the third sudden death hole after Grannell lost his ball in the rough.
“It’s a good way to end the season, especially after missing the cut in the Europro Tour at Fairmont St Andrews last week,” he added.
Both players were taken to the wire in the semi-finals, Valenti beating PGA Cup player Andrew Barnett, from North Wales Driving Range, with a birdie as Grannell also won on the home green against Rhuddlan’s Matthew Davies.
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