Ronnie Mitchell Claims Neil Wray Memorial Trophy at Ballymena Golf Club

Ronnie Mitchell lifted the Neil Wray Memorial Trophy at Ballymena Golf Club with a superb net 62.

Mitchell (27) started slowly with a double bogey on the par-four first hole. He then had a run of seven fives on his card, which equated to a par, three bogeys and three double bogeys, all of which came on the par threes. A seven on the par-five ninth left Mitchell one ahead of his handicap at the halfway point.

Mitchell ended his difficult run on the par threes with a par on the challenging tenth and played the eleventh to handicap before picking up shots on the next two holes with a bogey on the twelfth and a par on the thirteenth. A double bogey on the 220-yard par-three fourteenth was followed by bogeys on the next two holes and a par on the seventeenth before Mitchell closed his round with a bogey to finish six ahead of his handicap with a winning net 62.

Second place went to Brian Russell (22), who finished two shots back with a net 64.

Russell opened with a par before recording double bogeys at the next two holes. A par on the par-three fourth was followed by a double bogey on the fifth and bogeys on the next two holes before he parred the eighth. A bogey on the par-five ninth left Russell two shots ahead of his handicap after the opening nine.

The back nine started with a par on the tenth, a bogey on the eleventh and a double bogey on the twelfth, before a run of four consecutive bogeys. Russell recovered well with a par on the seventeenth but finished with a double bogey on the last to end four ahead of his handicap and secure second place following the countback process.

Alastair Martin (24) finished third after an excellent front nine left him four shots ahead of his handicap. However, he was unable to build on that advantage over the closing nine, which he played to his handicap.

The remaining prize winners were Lewis McGarry (13) with 64, Peter Smith (22) with 64, Michael Scroggie (9) with 65, Martin Agnew (24) with 66 and Alistair Barr (23) with 67.

Adam Barr claimed the Gross Prize with an impressive round of 71, which included birdies on the first, third and eighth holes. Steven Smyth finished runner-up in the gross section, two shots behind on 73.

There were only nine twos recorded during the competition, with no player managing more than one. Aaron Magill on the second and Andrew Gregg on the fourth were the only players to record a two on a hole other than the par-three seventh.

Other Competitions

The midweek HAT 13-Hole Competition was won by Steven Bell, who returned an excellent 28 points. Ronnie Mitchell continued his strong week by finishing runner-up on 27 points, with Gary Conaughty taking third place on countback after posting the same score.

In the Ladies' Nellie Garrett Aggregate, Jill Black and Evelyn Gourley claimed victory with an impressive 40 points. Gill Small and Elizabeth Small finished second on 35 points, while Tracey Smith and Tracey Hughes completed the podium in third after also returning 35 points.

Next week sees another stroke play competition, with the Agnew Cup on offer for the best net return.