FORMAT 36-hole stroke play
There was a Moortown one-two in the Yorkshire Boys Championship at Woodsome Hall where Isaac Smith edged out his club-mate Joshua Stephens.
The champion didn’t have his best day on the greens but excellent consistency tee-to-green proved critical as he ground it out to win the title for the first time.
The 17-year-old, who was a regular in the Yorkshire Boys team last year, was two behind at halfway but a level-par 70 left hm one clear of Stephens, who won the U-16s title, while 2020 champion Jake Wallis (Garforth) and Fairhaven Trophy champion Ben Brown (Romanby) were three shots further back.
“All day I hit lots of greens but didn’t hole many putts,” said Smith.
“I wasn’t checking the leaderboard but on 18 there were a lot of people watching so I got a sense I might be close.”
Smith was playing in the fourth-last group so had a bit of wait to find out if he had done it. The big danger was Brown, who led at halfway thanks to a one under par 69 but his challenge faltered around the turn.
Up ahead Smith moved clear thanks to an outrageous three at the 15th, where his putt from 40 feet struck the pin at pace and dropped to get himself level for the tournament.
At 17 he got unlucky with his drive – the ball finding a clump of rough out of keeping with the rest of the hole – and then he put his second into a bunker 60 yards short of the green.
“As I was preparing to play my third I heard someone joke about ‘this could end up on the 18th green’. Thankfully I put it to 20 feet.”
He would miss with the par putt but sunk the four footer coming back the other way.
“That was a good bogey,” added the Moortown junior, who has not played much tournament golf this season.
“I think Moortown will be very proud and I know the Leeds and District organiser was very happy too with Leeds players in the top three places.”