Open Week Comes to a Close at Ballymena Golf Club

Ballymena Golf Club's 2026 Open Week, proudly sponsored by Irwin M&E, concluded in style with another excellent turnout and a week of outstanding golf on the Raceview Course. Throughout the week, visitors and members alike enjoyed superb course conditions, competitive scoring and a fantastic atmosphere, providing a fitting showcase for one of the club's biggest events of the season.

The final competition of Open Week produced a closely fought contest, with Ciaran Corbett (9) claiming victory after edging out Joseph Stevenson (13) on countback, with both players finishing on an excellent 38 Stableford points.

Corbett produced a composed and consistent round from start to finish. After opening with seven consecutive fours, including a birdie on the par-five third, he turned in just two over par gross. A steady back nine featuring a series of solid pars ensured he held on for his first trophy of the season, capping off a memorable week at Ballymena Golf Club.

Stevenson pushed Corbett all the way after recovering brilliantly from an early no-score on the fourth hole. His round included two birdies, one coming on the second hole and another on the sixteenth, as he posted 20 points on the outward nine before adding a further 18 points coming home. Despite matching Corbett's total of 38 points, he narrowly missed out on the overall title on countback.

Third place went to Brian McDermott (29) after producing one of the strongest finishes of the day. Following a steady front nine worth 16 points, McDermott surged home with an outstanding 21-point back nine to finish on 37 points.

The remaining prize winners were:

• William Montgomery (24) – 37 points

• Ivan McMaster (23) – 37 points

• Richard Mark (4) – 36 points

• James McBride (17) – 35 points

• Peter Connon (14) – 35 points

Richard Mark also claimed the Best Gross prize with an excellent level of golf throughout the day. His round of 72, featuring a one-over-par front nine and three-over-par back nine with a birdie at the 13th, was enough to finish one shot clear of runner-up Gerry Rafferty, who returned an impressive 73.

There were also 14 twos recorded during the competition, with Joseph Stevenson the only player to register two of them.

A Fantastic Week of Golf

Open Week once again proved to be one of the highlights of the Ballymena Golf Club calendar. Across the week, hundreds of golfers from Ballymena and visiting clubs competed in a wide range of events, enjoying excellent weather, a course presented in outstanding condition and the warm hospitality the club is known for.

A special thank you goes to Irwin M&E for their continued support as headline sponsors of Open Week. Their backing plays an important role in making the event such a success year after year.

The club would also like to thank everyone who took part throughout the week, along with the volunteers, staff and organisers whose hard work ensured another memorable Open Week.

Attention now turns to next week's competitions, where members will compete in both the Currie Cup, open to all members, and the Thompson Cup, open to members aged 55 and over. Both competitions will be played in the Stableford format.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back to Ballymena Golf Club for another great week of golf.