Fulford delivers a thrilling finish
Fulford provided the backdrop to our seventh event of the season as Clubhouse Leaders returned after the summer holidays. Sunshine and wind greeted us, allowing the course to show itself at its best and setting the scene for a brilliant day.
Quick out of the blocks were Lucy Foster and Jamie Kelly, who made a mockery of the tough opening holes to reach three under. The chasing pack worked hard to stay in touch, knowing that Fulford can bite back at any time.
The first nearest the pin, on the challenging fifth hole, was won with a fine shot from Michael Goodare.
As the field turned for home, the early leaders had been reeled back in and a great contest was developing, with eight players within two shots of each other. Tobias, Hamish and Chris Hughes sensed the tide was turning and began to build momentum down the final stretch.
By the time the field reached the second nearest the pin on the 13th, it was all up for grabs. Ryan Scott thought he had secured the prize, only for Charlie Langdale to creep inside his marker in the final group.
With three holes to go, four players shared the lead at one over, setting up the most exciting finish of the season. Hamish and Tobias maintained their composure over the closing holes to post solid scores of 34 points, but Chris Hughes finished brilliantly to take the win with 37 points.
With the Order of Merit taking shape, there was a real buzz in the clubhouse after the round; plenty of scores to compare and stories to share.
There was also a memorable moment for Angie when her ball came to rest in a tree! Fulford famously saw Bernhard Langer climb a tree to play his shot during the 1981 Benson & Hedges International Open. Angie opted against recreating that particular piece of golfing history; in fairness, her tree was considerably less inviting to climb!
Just two events remain, and the race for the Order of Merit is hotting up.
