Recent layout changes have opened up a course record opportunity at Formby GC and member Tom Hughes grabbed it with both hands on Saturday.
In time for the 2022 season the 17th was lengthened by 50 yards and new bunkers were added with renowned links track now playing to 7,128 yards off the championship Blue tees.
Before those alterations local pro Paul Kinnear held the low mark (64) but the new record belongs to the plus three handicapper, who shot a bogey-free 66 (-6) in a Spring Meeting on Saturday.
In fact the 21-year-old kept a five off his card by birdieing all three par fives and even managed to come second overall in the net event.
RELATED: 2023 Apeiron Northern Order of Merit
This year Hughes, who was fourth in the overall Northern Order of Merit standings after five events, has employed the services of renowned putting coach Lee Sullivan (Tour X) and, together with the work he continues to do with Gareth Benson at Hillside, 2023 has gone well so far.
“My putting has improved a lot,” said Hughes. “With the work I am doing with Lee at Tour X and Gareth, things are going well.
“I also think it really helped me on Saturday to be playing with Anthony Stirling. He was four under after seven and it seemed like whenever he had a birdie, I birdied the next.”
Stirling, last year’s Formby Hare champion, would finish with a 68, match his playing partner on the front nine as both men turned in 33 (-4).
All the work Hughes has been doing on his putting crucially came to the fore at the first where he drove into a bunker. Having splashed out, he had 105 left, and fired his wedge to 15 feet before knocking it in for a momentum-creating par.
He got under par at the par five third where his 25-foot eagle attempt finished within tap-in range and at the short par four fourth he came close to driving the green before getting up and down from 20 yards.
He got to three under at the sixth where he sank one from 20 feet and again reached a par five in two at the eighth. The two-tier green is notoriously difficult to navigate but he got down in two from 50 feet, converting his birdie attempt from six feet.
RELATED: Long wait over for Anthony Stirling as home club ace finishes three clear
At the next he got up and down for a par and at 11 his putter got him out of trouble after a poor pitch, Hughes sinking another six-footer for par.
At the 12th he reached five under, taking full advantage of a good drive to send his 8 iron to six feet and came close to another birdie on 14 where his 15-footer stayed above ground.
Another up and down on 15 maintained the momentum and, after another good two putt on the par three 16th, he added birdie No 16 at the par five 17th despite short-siding himself with his four iron approach. A wonderfully-weighted chip to three feet did the job and, at the last, he had 15 feet for a 65 but just missed on the low side.