Leinster Fourball V Baltray
The 2nd round of the Leinster Fourball took place on Sunday 22nd against Baltray.
The first home team of Johnny & Callum, sprang straight out of the traps with 2 great drives off the first teebox. And Johnny went on to make birdie on 1, setting the tone for the afternoon! From there on, Johnny & Callum complemented each other really well, with at least one of them reaching every single green in regulation - and with some seriously long drives from Johnny. No more so than on 12, where he was left with just an 8 iron from his teeshot to reach 'pin high' at the edge of the green! Callum also hit a superb drive on the hole and was then just short of the green with a 7 iron, going on to sink his birdie (video below), before Johnny got his chance to even try for the Eagle! A masterclass in matchplay strategy throughout, in often severe weather conditions - resulting in a resounding win of 6 and 4.
In match 2, Justin and Martin teamed up again, after their recent victory against Deerpark. They faced a wily pairing from Baltray, both of whom were very effective links players. Martin sank a great 8 foot putt on 1 to half the hole, but Baltray followed this with a birdie on 2 to take the lead. Both Sutton players ended up hitting their 3rd shots from the 3rd teebox, giving Baltray ample opportunity to easily win the hole - but they only managed it by 1 shot, giving them a 2-hole lead after just 3 holes. Justin and Martin settled into the match though and didn't allow Baltray to extend the lead any further. Quite the opposite in fact and it was back to '1 down' by the 7th teebox. Fast forward 5 holes and Sutton were 1 up, following a great birdie by Justin on the 11th and with all of the momentum! With Johnny/Callum's result secured and word from Baltray that a win was also recorded, there was no need for Justin and Martin to continue past the 15th, but by that stage they had gone 2 up thanks to a 15 foot birdie by Justin. And there was very little doubt in the minds of the spectators, that they would have gone on to win their match, had it gone the distance!
Up in Baltray, our boys got off to a similar hot start, Bryan and Brian going 3 up after 3 with some outstanding golf,which delivered two pars and a birdie. They continued their dominance on the front 9 and turned for home 5 up. Baltray pulled a couple back but the two boys rallied once more and eased to a 4 and 2 win.
Behind them, Mark and Jonathan had a similar hot start and were 2 up after 3. At this stage, the Baltray team and management were looking a little shellshocked. To their credit, they reeled off a few wins and it was Baltray who turned for home with a narrow lead. However, our two lads regrouped with some brilliant golf and were back to 1 up with a great win on the 16th. With news coming from elsewhere, a half on the 17th was all that was required and was delivered with ease.
Overall, it was a great win against our illustrious Co. Louth opponents who were very gracious in defeat. All matches were played in the right spirit, a good competitive but friendly battle, the way it should be. They were great hosts in Baltray and acknowledged the same hospitality received from us back at Cush Point. Special thanks to Tim Savage for making the trip to Co. Louth - his calm presence and ball-spotting abilities were invaluable. And the same to those who came out to watch back home on a wet and blustery day - it gives the lads a big lift to see such great support.
Next round sees us paired against Elmgreen, which we’ll look forward to. As we head into holiday season, we’ll invariably need some changes in line-up but we have a great squad and will be hopeful of continuing our Leinster Fourball journey.
Callum makes birdie on 12 to win the hole, Johnny stands by his 2nd shot position.
Mark on his way to sealing the match on the 17th
Victorious Away Team (weather was too bad at home for a team pic!)
Callum congratulated by Captain Larry, on his Interclub debut