Ben Mcfadden wins the West of England U18 Championship at Burnham & Berrow Golf Club

Round 1. Very difficult! wind up, rough tough and a front 9 that ended the hopes and aspirations of many competitors. Thankfully the rain held off but that was little comfort as scores came in and anyone under gross 80 were proud of their performance and their resilience against the odds.

By close of play the overnight leader Matthew Hawke Burhill GC had managed to complete and return a fantastic 74 gross.  A one-shot advantage over Ben Mcfadden Castle Royal and Noah Cambridge Royal Lytham & St Anns. Burham’s own Freddie Turnell was well placed on 76.

Round 2 and 3 were played on Wednesday 18th with an early start and late finish. Overnight the casualties of the day before became obvious as players dropped out suffering physical and mental injury one would expect.

The Championship starter Tony Mason,President of Somerset Golf Union worked wonders juggling the ever-changing start sheet. And a host of ball spotters ventured on to the links hoping for less to do than on the opening day.

Wind remained challenging but conditions where a slight improvement as scores began to improve. That said a Championship Links when the wind blows presents a formidable challenge with trouble around every corner, and so it proved as our overnight leader who reached the turn in 49 shots. A quadruple bogey on the short par 4 3rd and double bogeys at 5,6 and 7 is enough to end anyone’s day but credit is due as Matthew dug deep to come back in 36 but off the pace.

Ben Mcfadden, Noah Cambridge and Freddie Turnell kept up the pressure as each returned gross 73’s having battled through the front 9 and holding it together coming home. So on 148 Ben and Noah held a single shot advantage over Freddie with Joshua Millington The Kendleshire GC 76-75-151 and Joshua Creig Cottesmore GC 77-76-153 in contention.

So, into the final round with all to play for, could Nathan Woodham West Hill GC improve on his R2 73 or Dewi John Saltford GC eclipse his R2 74 and put pressure on the leaders? Step up Joshua Millington, birdie down the last for a 73 and 224 target! Noah Cambridge dropped 5 shots between 6-9 and was out in 42! No way back and an 81 final round drop to equal 5th along with Milan Reed Long Ashton GC 78-77-74 and Ashley Millington The Player GC. Joshua Craig finished with with a 75 for outright 4th and in pursuit of  Joshua Millington came Ben Mcfadden and Freddie Turnell.

For those of you who know the final straight at Burnham & Berrow you know how the last 3 can make or break you score! Playing down wind and running Ben finished 4 4 4 Par Bogey Par and tied in 1st place on 224. Freddie, par at 16, Par at 17 and without knowing a par at the last would see him win outright by a single shot! It was not to be, and a Bogey 5 set up a 3 way playoff.

Sudden Death With light fading the Championship Committee gambled on a sudden death format! Par 4’s for Freddie and Joshua, birdie 3 for Ben!

So, our overall West of England U18 Champion 2021, Ben Mcfadden Castle Royal GC 75-73-76 Total 224. Best girls Isabella Hopkins JNR Bristol & Clifton GC 82-83-78 Total 243 from runner up Alice Webb Parkstone GC, Total 245.

It’s been a challenging 3 rounds at the fabulous Burnham & Berrow Championship Course. Our thanks to the members, staff, and management of the club for hosting this prestigious event and the continued support of the Seniors Golfing Society for their support of Junior Golf in the West of England and beyond.

Result Sheet

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