Ormskirk and Dean Wood member Andrew Haswell capped a remarkable few days with a three-shot victory at the Lancashire Boys Championship at Dunscar GC.
The 17-year-old claimed the title for the first time off the back of breaking the Dean Wood course record and was cumulatively 19 under par for his first eight days back after lockdown.
At Dunscar, stormy weather curtailed the 36-hole championship – Andrew was one under par after four holes when the second round was abandoned – and at one point it got a little bit hairy.
“There were quite a few of us under the shelter at the ninth and we saw a flash of lightening near one of the greens so it was quite a good idea to stop playing,” said Andrew.
2022 Lancashire Boys title goes to Noah Cambridge
The plus three handicapper had five birdies in the morning round at Dunscar and came close to a hole in one at the 16th where his tee shot pitched just past the pin and spun back to two feet. That gave him a tap-in birdie on a day when the putter was not that hot.
“I left a lot of putts by the edge of the hole,” said Andrew. “I was driving really well and the iron play was good.”
He did sink a 25-footer at nine to get himself under par and then played the back nine in 31 shots for a four-under-par 67. That left him three clear of four players – Michael Kilgallon (St Annes Old Links), Joseph Johnson (Royal Birkdale), Tom Watson (Hillside) and Thomas Ratcliffe (Southport & Ainsdale).
Eight days earlier Andrew registered six birdies and an eagle for a 63 in an open event, lowering the Dean Wood course record by two shots. The day before his victory at the Lancs Boys he also shot 69 and 65.
The nett prize at Dunscar went to James Hall of Harwood GC. Playing off ten, he was two under gross for his opening five holes and went on to finish with a 77 (nett 67).