Busy start to the season and already success!!

2014 Trials
The 2014/15 season is now underway and what a busy start it has been. One month in and we've had three trials, two stroke-play events at Edgbaston GC and one matchplay event at Forest of Arden GC with around 60 golfers from UoB competing.

The 1st trial was won by Nathan Gilpin after a neat 1-under 68, closely followed by Luke Gorman with a level par 69 and fresher Matt Bacon with a 70. The 2nd trial was won by Alex Higgs with a 2-over 71 in second was Mikey Major shooting 72 and again in 3rd spot Matt Bacon with a 73. At the Forest of Arden the following week we held the matchplay trials, designed to give those who are looking to represent the university a chance to play some matchplay golf before the BUCS matches start in the coming weeks. The final results of all the trials can be found on our website www.uobgolf.com under 'Fixtures & Results'.

A big thank you to everyone who competed in the trials, its a great fundraiser for the club and this year the three events were supported well.



Woodhall Spa 2014
Last week 11 UoB Golf Squad members headed up to Woodhall Spa for the second BUCS individual stroke-play event of the season. The event was scheduled for 54 holes but reduced to 36 as the weather on the first day was brutal and nearly unplayable resulting in the CSS to be reductions only! The first round was played on the Bracken Course and the second round on the world renown Hotchkin Course. The notable scores from the first round were from Luke Gorman and Emma Newlove both with shooting 77 (5 over) and Cian Hurley who produced a 79, the only UoB players to break 80. In fact, two players from UoB who will remain nameless didn't even break 90... and one of them is a Pro! (for all the scores click here)

The next day the weather was much more favourable and the scores proved it, despite playing on the tighter Hotchkin Course. Emma Newlove led the way for UoB in the morning playing in the last group competing for the Ladies title which she held a one shot lead overnight. After a closely fought back 9 Emma prevailed to win her first BUCS individual title by two strokes with scores of 77,78. Well done Emma.

The Mens competition was led by Andrew Turner and Jack Bryan with Andrew making a majestic recovery shooting one of the best scores of the day 75 (2 over). Other notable scores were Alex Bagnall (75), Jack Bamford (78) and Jordan Patmore (79). However, the score of the competition went to Luke Gorman with a 'Royal Cinque Ports' inspired score of 3-under par to demolish the field and win by 8 strokes with rounds of 77,70. Well played Luke.

(Luke and Emma with trophies in hand)

Think everyone who went to Woodhall Spa this year would agree the accommodation was well above the University norm. In case you haven't already been made aware, we all stayed in two luxury lodges fully equipped with a hot tub and xbox (15 games included) overlooking a beautiful lake in Tattershall. Therefore a special mention should go to Andrew for organising those lodges which I think everyone enjoyed and no doubt helped with the recovery from the first round.

The victories mean that both Luke and Emma will make some strong headway into the BUCS Order of Merit and help to secure their place at the Tour Finals in April next year. But more importantly, with double points on offer, the inaugural Race to the Goose has an early leader with Luke taking a one point lead over Nathan Gilpin on 58 points after 4 events.

This Wednesday marks the start of the BUCS matchplay season with the 4th Team playing against Nottingham away at Beeston Fields - Good luck lads!

R&A Scholarships

As part of its commitment to developing student golf, the R&A makes a number of individual scholarship awards every year to students in full time education. If you are coming to Birmingham and meet the criteria shown here then please apply. 

Criteria in brief:

(a) hold a current handicap of +1 or better for men and 3 or better for women. 

or

(b) have been identified by their national governing body and offered a place in a national squad.

The administrator for applications from Birmingham is Luke Gunn (l.s.gunn@bham.ac.uk) 

Follow this link to apply for a scholarship 

Luke Gorman Wins the UoB Matchplay

Luke Gorman continues his fantastic form by defeating Harry Chapple 6&4 in the 18 hole final of the University of Birmingham Matchplay held at Edgbaston Golf Club.


Congrats to Luke who has capped off an excellent year as Captain.

 With this win Luke picks up a "cheque" for £50 

Patmore's Maiden Pro Victory

Jordan Patmore, this years second team captain and UoB Club Champion, has continued his strong early summer season form with his maiden professional win. 

Playing in his first Alliance event, a pro-am at Cleobury Mortimer Golf Club, with fellow UoB Golf Team Member George Scott (4th team League and Cup double winner) along with two members of Cleobury Mortimer, he shot a near flawless round of 67 (-4). His round consisted of 5 birdies and a solitary bogey winning the tournament by a comfortable 4 shots, and in the process collecting a well deserved cheque. Unfortunately the team itself missed out on the prizes by one shot with a 9-under total of 81 points. 

Jordan was still in shock as he walked off the 18th green as it was his first full round of golf in over a month; but in trademark style the putter was hot with putts dropping from all corners the green. Hopefully Jordan, along with other team members, can build upon this success over the summer and ensure that the UoB Golf Team can replicate the success of the 2013-14 season.

University of Birmingham End of Season Review

Once again, the 2013/14 season saw success for the University of Birmingham Golf Squad with two league wins, two cup wins, a gold medal in a BUCS strokeplay tournament and not to mention four hole- in-ones! With the squad being the strongest in depth it has probably ever been, the expectations were high from the start and the players certainly delivered.



1st team

The 1st team narrowly missed out on a top two finish in the Premier North division and came up short in the cup after losing to a strong Exeter team but Captain Matt Fieldsend praised his team for their efforts through the year: "The players have been great this year. There are some top teams in the Premier division and to finish in the top two was always going to be a tricky task but the commitment shown was never in question."

The 1st team prior to their 5.5 – 0.5 victory over Nottingham at Hollinwell GC


2nd team

The 2nd team retained their league title by narrowly beating the 3rd team to top spot in the Midland 1A division thanks to a final day victory over Lincoln 1sts. The cup final also beckoned but a dramatic home semi-final defeat at the hands of Bournemouth 2nds left the 2nds ruing their chances of potentially facing the 3rd team in the final at Formby Golf Club on 30th April. Despite this, Captain Jordan Patmore said: "Obviously we're disappointed with the loss but to get to the semi-final of the cup and retain the league title shows the potential this team has. We'll be raring to go for the double next time around."

3rd team

With a runner-up finish in the league secured, the 3rds turned their attentions to the cup final at Formby Golf Club on 30th April after beating Exeter 2nds in the semi-final at Edgbaston Golf Club in what will be a final to remember for a long time.

Bournemouth 2nds had led 3-0 after the morning foursomes which were far from an ideal start for Birmingham. However, the afternoon singles got off to a flyer with Sam Truman, Joe Way and Alex Bagnall all registering big wins which tied the match up at 3-3. Bournemouth then clinched another point which left them on the brink of victory but Luke Gorman squared the match at 4-4 with a decisive 7 foot putt on the 18th green to win 1 up. Major then decisively holed a three foot putt on the 18th to halve his match and take the final into a deciding playoff.

The successful 3rd team after winning the National Trophy Final at Formby GC


4th team

Full of confidence after the team's afternoon performance to win the singles 4.5 – 1.5, Gorman had the advantage in the playoff after splitting the fairway with his drive and finding the green in two. Bournemouth couldn't escape from the bunker which left Gorman with a 3 footer for victory which he holed cue the celebrations. Captain Mikey Major said about the win: "It's been a fantastic cup run and the players' determination to fight back in the afternoon shows how much this final meant to them. Special mention needs to be given to the support on the day in what has turned out to be a 'Miracle on Merseyside!"

The triumphant league and cup winning 4th team after their nail-biting final day at Woodhall Spa

The 4th team also delivered success in the form of a league and cup double thanks to a deciding day at Woodhall Spa in March. After staying unbeaten throughout the whole season, the final league game and cup final were both to be decided on the same day against Lincoln College. With a lot at stake, the team held their nerve in the morning and the afternoon to record the league and cup double thanks to 4-2 and 5-1 wins respectively. Captain on the day Dan Scoble said: "Today was an all or nothing day with huge amounts at stake but the players kept their focus and nerve and after a long season, it's great to have done the double."

Club Individual Tournaments

Jordan Patmore won the UOB Club Championships at Edgbaston Golf Club after an eagle on the 16th hole helped him on his way to a level par round of 69 to beat Andrew Turner by 2 shots.

Alex Bagnall won the inaugural UOB Handicap Invitational with 39 points on a blustery day again at Edgbaston Golf with students as far as Exeter and East Anglia attending and the Student Matchplay is into the latter stages where Luke Gorman will face the winner of either Alex Higgs or Harry Chapple in the other semi-final with the final scheduled for the end of May.



BUCS Individual Tournaments

Luke Gorman after winning the BUCS Strokeplay tournament at Royal Cinque Ports

Success in the BUCS individual strokeplay tournaments followed with Luke Gorman winning the BUCS Strokeplay at Royal Cinque Ports in March after a final round of 70 in tough conditions gave Birmingham their first men's individual title since 2010. Luke was joined at the end of season BUCS Student Tour Finals at Machynys Peninsula GC in April with:

Matt Fieldsend (2nd at Woodhall Spa)
Rhodri Harston (6th at Southport & Ainsdale)
Nathan Gilpin (6th at Saunton)
Joe Way (7th at Royal Cinque Ports)
Martin Tavoda (10th at Dundonald)
Harry Chapple (13th at Southport & Ainsdale)
Alex Bagnall (14th at Southport & Ainsdale)

Notable finishes at the concluding Tour Finals at Machynys GC included Matt Fieldsend (14th) and Rhodri Harston (15th).

Hole-in-ones

With the chances of achieving one of these in a round being close to 100,000 to 1, what odds would you have had on four of them being achieved in the same year from the same University Golf Squad? Well, this season four Birmingham players achieved this feat with Martin Tavoda holing out at Woodhall Spa; Dan Scoble at Royal Cinque Ports; Alex Bagnall at Southport & Ainsdale and finally Matt Fieldsend at Dawlish Warren!

Concluding Remarks

As the University season draws to a close, special mention needs to go to the committee members of 2013-14 in helping to run the Golf squad this year; thanks to all of the players who have performed incredibly well this season and also to Matt Bridge, David Fulcher and Alistair Davies for their help with regards to coaching and support in helping to make 2013-14 one of the best seasons in the Golf Squad's history. Let the 2014-15 season commence.



Written by Luke Gorman, UOB Golf Club Captain 2013-14

UoB Golf Knockout Update

Luke Gorman is now in the final waiting to play Harry Chapple or Alex Higgs. The winner will receive £50 and the runner up £30. The winner of the third place play off between the losing semi finalists will receive £20. A big thanks to everyone who played in the knockout this year. For a detailed breakdown of all the matches played to date take a look at the UoB Matchplay link under "Fixtures & Results".

3rd Team Win Trophy Final

The University of Birmingham Golf 3^rd team won the BUCS National Trophy Final at Formby Golf Club on Wednesday after an immense fight back in the afternoon singles took the Trophy Final to a deciding playoff.  With the winner being the first to reach 5 points, Bournemouth 2nds had led after the morning foursomes 3-0 which was far from an ideal start for Birmingham.

However, the afternoon singles got off to a great start with Truman, Way and Bagnall all registering big wins which tied the match up at 3-3. Tavoda was on the receiving end of some fantastic Bournemouth play but Gorman squared the match at 4-4 with a decisive 7 foot putt on the 18^th green to win 1 up and make it a winner-takes-all final match involving Major which came down the 18^th all square.

Major found the rough from his drive but Bournemouth 3 putted from the back of the green leaving Mikey with a 3 foot putt to take the match to a playoff which he comfortably holed. The afternoon singles had been won 4.5 – 1.5 which was an immense achievement after the whitewash in the foursomes.

Gorman took the responsibility of tackling the playoff and had the advantage on the approach shots after splitting the fairway with his drive. Bournemouth found the bunker which Gorman took advantage of by putting his approach shot to 35 foot on the green. 2 putts would be enough to win the match and Gorman held his nerve to slot his remaining 3 footer away for victory.

A fantastic cup run ended in the most dramatic of fashions but credit to all of the players for their determination to fight back. Special mention also needs to be made to Matt Bridge, Paul Eales, Andrew Turner, Jack Bamford, Alex Higgs and Cian Hurley for their support throughout the day. A great day at a well presented Formby Golf Club ended with a miracle on Merseyside!

Results:

Birmingham 3rds 4.5 - 4.5 Bournemouth 2nds 

*Bham win after 1st playoff hole

Foursomes

Truman and Tavoda lost 3&1 

Major & Way lost 2&1 

Gorman & Bagnall lost 1 down

Singles

Gorman won 1up 

Major halved 

Tavoda lost 4&3 

Way won 7&6

Truman won 7&5 

Bagnall won 3&2

Gorman won first playoff hole with par 4

4th Team Complete League & Cup Double

The 4th team maintained their perfect record by defeating Lincoln College in a double header (League Match & Conference Cup Final) over the Bracken course at Woodhall Spa. The morning match (League) resulted in a 4-2 win while the afternoon match (Cup Final) culminated in a 5-1 victory. A great season for the 4th team… Full results below:


League result: WON 4-2:
George Scott won 4&2
Dan Scoble won 4&2
Andrew Turner won 1 up
Tom Sigurdsson won 5&4
Evie Carter lost 4&3
Beth Round lost 6&5

Cup result: WON 5 - 1
George Scott won 6&5
Dan Scoble won 2 up
Andrew Turner A/S
Josh Greaves won 4&2
Cian Hurley won 6&4
Carl Moorfoot A/S

Captain Luke WIns at Royal Cinque Ports

Our very own Luke Gorman won the BUCS strokeplay at Royal Cinque Ports with a brilliant score of +4 in the very tricky conditions. After shooting +6 on the first day leaving him lying 24th, 6 shots behind the leader, he followed it with an incredible -2 in the blustery conditions to win the competition by 2 shots. Well done Luke.