Cheshire’s men travelled to the Isle of Man for today’s Northern Counties Qualifying, aka the “Big 6”. Played over 36 holes, the aggregate of each team’s best 5 scores out of 6 players count towards the team total.
Our team comprised:
Dan Hayes
Jon Beesley (captain)
Rory McDonald-O’Brien
Haminder Matharu
Luke Yardley
Sam Prince
Chris Chilton (reserve)
We got off to an excellent start, with 16 year old Dan Hayes leading off. He was 3 under early on, but double bogeyed the 9th. Undeterred, he came home in a brilliant 30 for an excellent 4 under par 67. His score was backed up by the other team members, and we took a narrow lead going into the afternoon round. The White Rose county fought back strongly, with three players shooting 66, 68 and 69. This saw them home by the narrow margin of just two shots to qualify for the England Golf County Finals.
Cheshire did, however, provide the individual winner in the remarkable Dan Hayes who shot 67, 68 for a 7 under total to win by 2 shots. Dan’s progress this season is nothing short of incredible, and he showed today that he can cut it with older and more experienced players. The other scores were: Captain Jon Beesley 72 and 69, Rory McDonald-O’Brien 72 and 73, Haminder Matharu 71 and 76, Luke Yardley 73 and 70 and Sam Prince 68 and 70.
Well done to all of our team, a tremendous performance that will no doubt boost confidence for the 2 vital remaining league fixtures that could see us land the title for the first time since 2011.
Results: https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/9241457394733562951
