Men's Medal
Competition Report
How Philip Normington Won
Philip Normington won the net competition with an exceptional 64 (-5 net to par), a score that occurs roughly once in 69 rounds at this handicap level, and he produced it in brutal conditions — 14 mph winds gusting to 43 mph with heavy rain — on a day when the 19+ handicap group averaged 92.5 gross, ten shots worse than his 82. He was under his handicap from start to finish, going -2 over the opening six holes with a best run of -3 through holes 2-7, and never faltered, adding further gains through the middle and closing stretches to win by two shots. His back nine of +6 gross was the best of 69 rounds this season among adult men in the 19+ group, and the round — his lowest gross of the season, 11 shots better than his own 93 average — featured personal bests on both nines and a closing four holes of +3, also a season best.
How the course played
Harder than usual, in a 14 mph average wind gusting to 43 mph and 19 mm of rain. Turnout was down: 49 players, where a Saturday men's competition here usually draws 68. On the day, the 13-18 group averaged about 2 shots above its season figure and the 6-12 group averaged about 2 shots below its season figure. 5 of 18 holes played harder than usual and 9 easier. The harder holes cost the average player about a shot between them and the easier ones gave back about 2 shots. Holes 4 and 7 played significantly easier than usual: the 4th averaged 5.9 against a usual 6.2 and the 7th averaged 5.1 against a usual 5.3. The number of players who didn't finish was normal for the course.
🏆 Final Leaderboard
Division 1 Handicap Index 12.4 and under
| Pos | Name | Gross | Hcp | Nett |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominic Adams | 76 | 10 | 66 |
| 2 | Paul McCormick | 75 | 7 | 68 |
| 3 | Neil Benstead | 72 | 2 | 70 |
| 4 | Henry Croft | 69 | +1 | 71 |
| 5 | Roger Goodwin-Jones | 80 | 9 | 71 |
| 6 | Jono McMillan | 81 | 8 | 72 |
| 7 | Will Atkins | 78 | 5 | 73 |
| 8 | David Cutter | 82 | 9 | 73 |
| 9 | Stephen Lampkin | 80 | 7 | 73 |
| 10 | Brett Bannister | 82 | 8 | 74 |
| 11 | Andrew Merrick | 81 | 7 | 74 |
| 12 | Chris Scott | 78 | 3 | 75 |
| 13 | Peter Downey | 85 | 9 | 75 |
| 14 | Chris Atkins | 76 | 0 | 76 |
| 15 | Duncan Hall | 83 | 6 | 76 |
| 16 | Harry Appleby | 83 | 7 | 76 |
| 17 | James Nixon | 82 | 4 | 77 |
| 18 | Simon Wormald | 83 | 5 | 78 |
| 19 | Daniel Thomas | 76 | +1 | 78 |
| 20 | James White | 84 | 3 | 80 |
| 21 | Neil Caddick | 88 | 7 | 81 |
| 22 | Robert Caddick | 88 | 4 | 84 |
| Peter Riley | NR | 10 | NR |
Finishers: 22 · No Return: 1
Division 2 Handicap Index 12.5 and above
| Pos | Name | Gross | Hcp | Nett |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philip Normington | 82 | 18 | 64 |
| 2 | Neil Armitage | 90 | 18 | 71 |
| 3 | Antony Hubbard | 88 | 17 | 71 |
| 4 | Nicholas Fearnley | 90 | 18 | 72 |
| 5 | Anthony Atkins | 86 | 12 | 73 |
| 6 | Richard Greenough | 89 | 15 | 73 |
| 7 | Andrew Riley | 89 | 15 | 74 |
| 8 | Richard Harrison | 91 | 16 | 74 |
| 9 | Glyn Brown | 91 | 16 | 74 |
| 10 | Blair Nixon | 93 | 17 | 76 |
| 11 | Matthew Trevett | 93 | 17 | 76 |
| 12 | Paul Wilson | 91 | 15 | 76 |
| 13 | Nicholas Winterbottom | 90 | 13 | 77 |
| 14 | Nick Quaife | 92 | 14 | 78 |
| 15 | Michael Ramsey | 93 | 15 | 78 |
| 16 | Bill Horsley | 93 | 13 | 79 |
| 17 | Duncan Sayers | 93 | 14 | 79 |
| 18 | Robin Snook | 96 | 16 | 80 |
| 19 | Craig Higgs | 94 | 14 | 80 |
| 20 | Steven Webb | 94 | 14 | 80 |
| 21 | Ross Newton | 95 | 14 | 81 |
| 22 | Oliver Moulton | 94 | 12 | 82 |
| 23 | Philip Hirst | 108 | 25 | 83 |
| 24 | Gavin Rae | 98 | 14 | 84 |
| 25 | Martin Connolly | 98 | 13 | 85 |
| 26 | James Lovery | 101 | 13 | 88 |
Finishers: 26
⭐ Outstanding Hole Performances
Remarkable individual achievements that stood out during this competition:
- Antony Hubbard - Had a birdie 3 on the 9th (Par 4) which was 2.2 better than field average
- Chris Atkins - Had a birdie 3 on the 11th (Par 4) which was 2.2 better than field average
- Chris Atkins - Had a birdie 3 on the 7th (Par 4) which was 2.1 better than field average
- Paul McCormick - Had a birdie 3 on the 14th (Par 4) which was 2.0 better than field average
- Henry Croft - Had a birdie 4 on the 4th (Par 5) which was 1.9 better than field average
- Chris Scott - Had a birdie 4 on the 4th (Par 5) which was 1.9 better than field average
- Andrew Merrick - Had a birdie 2 on the 3rd (Par 3) which was 1.9 better than field average
- Andrew Merrick - Had a birdie 2 on the 5th (Par 3) which was 1.9 better than field average
- Glyn Brown - Had a birdie 2 on the 5th (Par 3) which was 1.9 better than field average
- Neil Benstead - Had a birdie 3 on the 8th (Par 4) which was 1.8 better than field average
🌟 Standout Round Performances
Players who significantly outperformed their handicap group average:
- Henry Croft shot 69, 9.1 strokes better than average of peers in the 5 & Under handicap group.
- Paul McCormick shot 75, 6.3 strokes better than average of peers in the 6-12 handicap group.
- Dominic Adams shot 76, 5.3 strokes better than average of peers in the 6-12 handicap group.
- Antony Hubbard shot 88, 5.1 strokes better than average of peers in the 13-18 handicap group.
- Andrew Riley shot 89, 4.1 strokes better than average of peers in the 13-18 handicap group.
- Richard Greenough shot 89, 4.1 strokes better than average of peers in the 13-18 handicap group.
Course Statistics
Most Challenging Holes
- Hole 1 (Par 4): Averaged 5.45 (+1.45)
- Hole 17 (Par 4): Averaged 5.45 (+1.45)
- Hole 18 (Par 4): Averaged 5.45 (+1.45)
Best Birdie Opportunities
- Hole 10 (Par 4): 3 birdies, averaged 4.48
- Hole 6 (Par 5): 6 birdies, averaged 5.51
- Hole 13 (Par 3): 1 birdies, averaged 3.53
Complete Hole-by-Hole Statistics
| Hole | Par | Eagles | Birdies | Pars | Bogeys | Dbl+ | Avg | vs Season | Rank | Twos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | - | - | 4 | 23 | 22 | 5.45 | +0.18 | 1 | - |
| 2 | 3 | - | - | 20 | 21 | 8 | 3.78 | -0.09 | 14 | - |
| 3 | 3 | - | 1 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 3.86 | -0.18 | 11 | Andrew Merrick |
| 4 | 5 | - | 2 | 17 | 19 | 11 | 5.92 | -0.33 | 10 | - |
| 5 | 3 | - | 2 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 3.86 | -0.11 | 12 | Andrew Merrick, Glyn Brown |
| 6 | 5 | - | 6 | 23 | 11 | 9 | 5.51 | -0.33 | 17 | - |
| 7 | 4 | - | 1 | 10 | 24 | 14 | 5.08 | -0.42 | 8 | - |
| 8 | 4 | - | 2 | 17 | 19 | 11 | 4.82 | -0.11 | 13 | - |
| 9 | 4 | - | 1 | 5 | 30 | 13 | 5.22 | +0.28 | 5 | - |
| 10 | 4 | - | 3 | 24 | 16 | 5 | 4.48 | -0.15 | 18 | - |
| 11 | 4 | - | 1 | 11 | 18 | 18 | 5.21 | +0.01 | 6 | - |
| 12 | 4 | - | - | 10 | 25 | 13 | 5.15 | -0.07 | 7 | - |
| 13 | 3 | - | 1 | 26 | 18 | 4 | 3.53 | -0.18 | 16 | Chris Scott |
| 14 | 4 | - | 1 | 15 | 22 | 11 | 5.02 | -0.28 | 9 | - |
| 15 | 3 | - | 2 | 20 | 18 | 9 | 3.69 | +0.08 | 15 | Andrew Riley, Robin Snook |
| 16 | 4 | - | - | 8 | 25 | 16 | 5.39 | +0.26 | 4 | - |
| 17 | 4 | - | - | 8 | 18 | 23 | 5.45 | +0.21 | 2 | - |
| 18 | 4 | - | - | 4 | 25 | 20 | 5.45 | +0.31 | 3 | - |
⚔️ Virtual Matchplay
What would the head to head score have been at matchplay?
We've simulated 1,176 head-to-head matches between all 49 players using their actual hole-by-hole scores.
🎯 Head-to-Head Matchplay Simulator
Pick two players to replay their rounds as a match, hole by hole. In Nett, shots received are marked •.
Nett rankings · top 10 of 49 players
| Rank | Player | Record (W-L-T) | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philip Normington | 48-0-0 | 100.0% |
| 2 | Dominic Adams | 47-1-0 | 97.9% |
| 3 | Neil Benstead | 44-2-2 | 93.8% |
| 4 | Paul McCormick | 44-3-1 | 92.7% |
| 5 | Henry Croft | 42-2-4 | 91.7% |
| 6 | Jono McMillan | 39-6-3 | 84.4% |
| 7 | Antony Hubbard | 38-5-5 | 84.4% |
| 8 | Peter Riley | 38-6-4 | 83.3% |
| 9 | Roger Goodwin-Jones | 36-6-6 | 81.2% |
| 10 | Neil Armitage | 34-7-7 | 78.1% |
** Singles Nett: full handicap allowance (100%).
Performance by Handicap Group
| Handicap | Players | Avg Gross | Season Avg | Best | Avg Nett |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 & Under | 8 | 78.1 | 75.8 | 69 | 76.4 |
| 6-12 | 14 | 81.2 | 82.9 | 75 | 73.6 |
| 13-18 | 22 | 92.8 | 90.3 | 86 | 78.1 |
| 19+ | 4 | 92.5 | 99.2 | 82 | 72.5 |