Weekly Results: Rodgers Takes Early Harry Harper Lead with Superb Net 60

Paul Rodgers (12) produced an excellent round to win the opening event of the prestigious Harry Harper Stroke Competition at Ballymena Golf Club, carding a superb net 60 to establish a two-shot lead heading into the remaining two rounds.

Rodgers made an impressive start, opening with three steady pars before picking up a birdie at the par-three fourth. Bogeys at the challenging fifth and sixth holes briefly slowed his momentum, but further pars at the seventh and eighth kept him firmly on track before another bogey at the par-five ninth saw him turn in two over par.

The back nine began with another dropped shot, but Rodgers responded brilliantly with four consecutive pars through some of the course's toughest holes, including the eleventh, twelfth and fourteenth. A bogey at the fifteenth was followed by a par at the sixteenth and another bogey at the seventeenth before he produced a superb birdie at the closing hole to finish four over par gross and secure a winning net 60.

Second place went to Clifford Worthington (17), whose excellent net 62 leaves him just two shots off the pace after the opening round.

Worthington recovered well after a bogey at the opening hole, recording three consecutive pars before dropping shots at the fifth and sixth. Two more pars followed before another bogey at the ninth left him four over par at the halfway stage.

His back nine proved more demanding, with bogeys at the tenth and eleventh followed by a double bogey at the twelfth. However, Worthington battled back well, parring the short thirteenth before three successive bogeys. He finished strongly with pars on both the seventeenth and eighteenth to complete a fine round of net 62.

Connor O'Dornan (6) claimed third place with an impressive net 63, recording one over par on the outward nine before producing a level par inward half, helped by birdies at the fifth and thirteenth holes.

The remaining prize winners were:

• Paddy McReynolds (15) – Net 64

• Richard Mark (4) – Net 65

• Gordon Bell (17) – Net 65

• Derek Francey (17) – Net 66

• Aaron Magill (6) – Net 66

In the Gross competition, Richard Mark claimed first place on countback after finishing with a superb one-over-par 69, featuring birdies at the first, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth holes. Connor O'Dornan also returned a 69 but narrowly missed out on countback.

There were 18 twos recorded during the competition, with Garrett Magill the only player to register two, achieving them on the tenth and sixteenth holes.

Attention now turns to the second round of the Harry Harper Stroke Competition, which will be played next week in conjunction with the Ace Fixings Sponsored Competition, with players continuing their pursuit of one of the club's most prestigious trophies.