North of England Stroke Play again throws up last-day drama
Durham City’s James Glenn claimed his first major amateur title as the traditional end-of-season North of England Stroke Play once again threw up an enthralling final day.
FORMAT: 72-hole stroke play
With 36 holes played at Seaton Carew yesterday, the pendulam was always like to swing more than once and that was how it transpired as the contenders came and went.
The 33-year-old, who is originally from Texas, was paired with reigning champion Jack Brooks in the final group and just about hung on in the final reckoning last night to finish one ahead of his county colleague Jack Ainscough (The Wynyard) while Cheshire teenager Daniel Hayes (Bramhall) carded a stunning 65 (-6) in the final round to grab third.
For Glenn, playing in the event for the third time, golf has had to take something of a back seat with him working full-time and being the father of young twins.
“This is definitely the biggest one I have won and it was nice to do it at 33,” said the former member of Brancepeth Castle and Bishop Auckland.
“In this event you don’t always get the best weather but Thursday’s weather was perfect and it was great to get the job done.”
Glenn started the final day two ahead of Brooks on seven under while first-round leader Jack McDonald (Schloss Roxburghe) and Moortown’s Oliver Cage were just a further shot behind. Nine other players were under par and well in contention.
In the morning third round Northern Order of Merit champion Brooks got off to a flier as he opened up with a pair of birdies and by the end of the front nine Glenn trailed his playing partner by two.
After bogeying the third, he rolled in a 30-footer for birdie to settle the nerves at the fourth but got too aggressive with his drive on seven and could not hole out from 15 feet for par after shortsiding himself with his approach.
However Brooks bogeyed three of the first four on the back nine while his opponent stumbled his way around 12 on his way to a double bogey but got one back at the par five next, getting up and down to return to five under.
Ahead of them the big move was coming from Ainscough, who, after a bogey on three, birdied four, seven, eight and 11 to also get to five under and he would par the final seven holes to earn himself a share of 54-hole lead.
Glenn added: “When Jack Ainscough smells blood in the water he usually chases it down and I thought he was going to shoot another three under at least, especially, as while me and Jack Brooks were having lunch, we watched him birdie the first.
“To be honest I thought one of us was going to go very low.”
Unfortunately for the The Wynyard player that would be his only birdie in the final round and he would finish wth a closing 72.
In contrast birdies were proving easy to come by for the precocious Hayes, who got to the turn in 30 and was seven under for his opening 13 holes and four under for the tournament.
However he was never able to get his nose in front as Glenn birdied the fourth, knocking in a six footer. By this point Brooks was already virtually out of it having doubled the second and then bogeyed the third to leave himself four back.
The leader then dropped one himself at the fifth after disappointing three putt but was heartened to see Ainscough, playing alongside Southport & Ainsdale’s Jack Macphail three groups back, was still only six under.
Glenn added: “At Seaton you really have to take advantage of the front nine so when I saw Ainscough was only on six, I thought his chances of going low were slim.”
The Durham City player would turn in one under, another birdie arriving at the eighth where he was rewarded for going bold off the tee as he drove the short par four and two putted from 60 feet.
He then got to seven under at the 11th as his “best drive of the week” finished 65 yards short of the short stuff. He then pitched to ten feet and holed out to give himself some breathing space but would lose a shot at the next as he went left with his approach and could not rescue the par with his short game.
However at this point he knew par golf would win it, adding: “I started playing for two-putt pars and tried to reply on my lag putting.”
His putter was certainly his friend at 14 where he sank a 15-foot double breaker for a crucial birdie, especially as the putt was struck with some force and was heading at least eight feet past had it not disappeared.
Pars followed at 15 and 16 but he caught the mother of all fliers with his second at the penultimate hole which left him in all sorts of trouble.
“I was looking at my ball behind the green in the rough thinking ‘how am I going to make six’.”
He was unable to chip back on to the green so “chunked” it back out on to the fringe before chipping to 15 feet and then just missing with his bogey attempt.
That meant he needed to par the last to stay one ahead.
“I had hit driver on the hole all week so stayed with it and aimed left. I knew I was tired and when I get tired I miss it right and it went to plan because I blocked one into the fairway.”
From there he found the putting surface and rolled his 35-foot putt to two and a half feet before steadying himself for one last time.