It’s been a quite a year for amateur golf in Great Britain and we asked some our leading players what were their stand-out moments and also asked them to look ahead to 2024
1) Your best round of the year and why?
My best round of the year came in the Knowle Gold Medal (Gloucestershire Golf Union order of merit event. It wasn’t actually the lowest score butI knew that if I was able to finish in eighth position or better, then it would secure winning the GGU Order of Merit – a goal I’ve been trying to achieve for I don’t know how many years! I managed to stay in the present and not get ahead of myself and finished in fourth. I was really proud of the way I was able to handle the situation and over the moon to have finally achieved my goal!
2) Your best shot of the year and why?
The best shot I hit this year was at Perranporth Golf Club during the stroke play day of our South West County Week. I went long of the 12th green into an awful lie about 15 yards from the pin. I managed to somehow conjure up some Seve magic and get it up and down for par, we (Gloucestershire) went on to win by a single shot so that’s definitely one I remember! I still don’t know how the ball came out and landed so soft!
3) The best shot you saw and why?
The best shot I saw this season was by a French professional golfer, Julian Brun at The Royal Porthcawl during Open Qualifying. Julian had missed the 14th hole par three right and was in the pot bunker. He had no green to work with and was on the downslope in the sand. He decided that he was going to play his shot into the upslope that sat just above the bunker to take the pace off it and then see it land soft and roll down towards the pin. He excecuted it almost to perfection and left himself roughly four feet for par. It was one of the most incredible shots I’ve ever seen, and my description most definitely hasn’t done it justice!
4) Your favourite moment of 2023 (this could be personal or something completely random but golf related)?
My favourite moment of the season was when I won the Failand Cup at Bristol & Clifton Golf Club (Gloucestershire Golf Union Order of Merit event. I shot a 68 (-2) in the morning and a 65 (-5) in the afternoon to secure the win. What made the day special, was that I had my dad caddying for me, so it was amazing to be able to share it with him!
5) Your hopes and ambitions for 2024?
My ambitions for the coming season are to retain the GGU Order of Merit title and to hopefully lead the boys to EGU County Finals again, and hopefully go one better than we did this year!
6) One thing you would change about about golf for next season?
The only thing I’d change about golf for next season is the weather! A nice warm, dry, windless summer would be class!