County Armagh Golf Club's Ladies and Gents Open Stableford event on 12 August was sponsored by Gaffney Estate Agent and saw Rita Mone and Mark Frazer take up residency in the winners' enclosure.
Rita's remarkable 44-point scorecard showed a fantastic front nine of five bogeys and four pars, and then a birdie at the 15th that nestled nicely among seven further homeward bogeys. Rita was granted a new handicap of 18 as well as the Sunday honours on account of this splendid performance.
Rita Mone, winner of the Ladies' Gaffney Estate Agents Open Stableford competition, is presented with her prize by Gerry Gaffney. Also pictured are County Armagh Golf Club Captain, Colm Shannon, Lady Captain, Elizabeth Mawhinney, and second- and third-placed players, Una Cullinane and Alexandra Mawhinney.
Mark Frazer, winner of the Men's Gaffney Estate Agents Open Stableford competition, is presented with his prize by Gerry Gaffney. Also pictured are County Armagh Golf Club Captain, Colm Shannon, Lady Captain, Elizabeth Mawhinney, and other prizewinners Conor McGuigan and Philip Devlin.
Runner-up among the ladies was Una Cullinane, who notched half-a-dozen pars herself including a pair of fours to conclude proceedings. Una's marvellous 39-point tally was matched by Alexandra Mawhinney, who lost out on a back-nine break of tie. Third-placed Alexandra's most fruitful spell came in the form of a classy 36-stroke outward nine and then a birdie at the 11th that left her just one over par at that juncture.
Meanwhile in the men's tournament, Mark Frazer's exceptional level-par round rendered him a more than deserving champion. Frazer reached the turn in a Mawhinney-style 36 shots before firing up the after-burners on the home strait. A hat-trick of birdies at the 12th, 13th and 15th contributed to a dazzling two-under-par back nine that ultimately enabled the newly crowned seven-handicapper to sign for an unbeatable 44-point total.
Three points adrift of Mark and occupying the men's runner-up berth was Conor McGuigan. His accomplished gross 79, which included a massive 12 pars, yielded 41 points and would've troubled Frazer but for three regrettable double bogeys.
Malachy McSorley was a prolific prize-collector at the beginning of last season, and the Tullysaran man was partying like it was April 2017 with a 40-point outing that earned him the bronze position here. McSorley carded four pars and has had his handicap clipped by a shot as a result of this tremendous display.
A double bogey through The Gap meant that young Kris Calvert had registered only nine points after five holes. However, doubtless inspired by the recent heroics of his dad Michael and brother Jamie, Kris proceeded to go one over par for the remaining 13 holes. The nine-handicapper birdied the 6th, 8th and 12th as he plundered 40 points and a previously unlikely-looking fourth-place finish.
The Sunday podium line-up was completed in fifth spot by Philip Devlin, who also recorded an impressive 40 points and has had his handicap trimmed to 20 as a pleasing consequence.
Rónan O'Reilly has always loved Wednesday and, in the Wednesday Open on 15 August, the now six-handicapper upped-and-downed his way to a season's best gross 71 and 42 points that left him top of the midweek pile. On the same day, the Senior Open honours went to 44-point Ally Wilson, whose masterly three-over-par offering contained no fewer than 16 pars, including a full house on the inward nine.