Result - Spring Meeting. King’s. Sat 9th May.
The Spring Meeting returned to the King’s Course today and, in conditions that were more chilly and overcast than properly springlike, the field set out in search of two of the club’s most prized commodities: a good medal score and a believable explanation for the ones that got away. The sun did make the occasional cameo appearance, but only briefly, as if checking in to confirm that it was still May.
Your esteemed correspondent, regrettably, got the season entirely wrong and spent much of the back nine appearing to believe it was still the Winter Meet, recording two snowmen for good measure. It was not a day for everyone. But for two men in particular, it was a very fine day indeed.
Collier takes the net prize
Congratulations to Mike Collier, winner of the net competition with an excellent 66. That is a fine score on the King’s at any time, never mind in testing medal conditions, and it suggests that Mike can now fully refocus on his golf after recently finishing third in the election results in his constituency. Perhaps his political ambitions have been temporarily curtailed, but on today’s evidence the golfing campaign is very much alive and well.
Collier, of course, is a three-time club champion, a man of proven quality, and — as some will no doubt mutter into their post-round soup — the owner of a handicap that continues to generate healthy discussion in certain corners of the clubhouse. Still, you can only beat what is in front of you, and today Mike did exactly that.
Moran claims the gross honours
The scratch prize went to Tony Moran, whose superb 75 was comfortably the best gross score of the day. Tony, playing through the discomfort of a trapped nerve in his back, once again showed the kind of calm, rhythmic golf that makes difficult things look deceptively easy. He has one of those lovely smooth swings that appears to contain no effort whatsoever — a style greatly admired by those who are usually applying maximum effort to produce far less satisfying outcomes.
A gross 75 around the King’s is serious golf, and Tony’s quality was there for all to see.
Foursomes chemistry pays off
Nicely enough, today’s spoils went to the foursomes pairing of Moran and Collier, who between them lifted the gross and net honours. If this partnership wasn’t already attracting enough attention, it certainly will now. One imagines future opponents may already be checking the small print.
Notable mentions
There were plenty of other performances worth highlighting.
Keith Stirling took second in the net with a tidy 68, a round full of the kind of discipline that medals demand.
Ken Marshall continued his strong recent form with 69 net, good enough for third, and also posted 80 gross, placing him fifth in the scratch standings. Quietly effective, and increasingly difficult to ignore.
In the net competition, Tony Moran, Michael Cantlay and Ross MacNish all shared fourth place on 70, underlining just how tightly contested the leading places were.
Alastair Cantlay finished second in the gross with 77, a fine score and further evidence of his prodigious talent. But perhaps the moment of the day came at the 4th, where, having hit drive and 9-iron, he then contrived to shank a wedge and two-putt for a bogey. Reassuring stuff for the rest of us. It turns out he is, after all, human.
Ross MacNish also deserves a nod for taking third in the gross with 78, while Jon Cooper was just behind on 79.
Further down, Doug Law’s 71 net was solid enough for seventh, while Craig Scott and Kevin Beattie shared eighth place on 72.
Style watch
Away from the scorecards, Bill Sexton and Iain Aitchison appeared to be engaged in a private contest for Best Dressed, had such a prize existed. It did not, but that should not stop us acknowledging the effort. If medals were awarded for presentation, both men would have been firmly in the mix.
Other news from the fairways
And in further golfing news, congratulations to Rob Simpson on his hole in one at Murrayshall Golf Course yesterday — a wonderful achievement, and one that certainly deserves mention. Sadly, such magic did not fully carry over into today’s medal, but once you’ve made an ace the previous day, one suspects you can forgive yourself almost anything.
Final word
So, a fine opening chapter to this year’s Spring Meeting: Mike Collier taking the net, Tony Moran lifting the gross, and the King’s once again proving that it remains one of the sternest and most dignified tests in the club calendar.
For some, the day brought prizes. For others, perspective. For your correspondent, two snowmen and a firm reminder that the seasons do, eventually, change.
Congratulations once again to Mike and Tony — worthy winners both.
