Werneth Low golf pro enjoys golfing major

Werneth Low Golf Club professional Jamie Tipper has enjoyed seeing the recent LPGA US Women’s Open at first hand as a caddy for his cousin Amelia Garvey.

Jamie explained: “Amelia Garvey qualified the US Women’s Open through her amateur world ranking of being in the top 20 in the world.

“I was caddying for her as I do at all the big events - I caddied last year when she came runner-up in the British Amateur.

“I will also be caddying for her at Augusta in April for the ANWA tournament.

“Amelia is English-born, but my uncle and aunt emigrated when Amelia was five years old.

“She has been representing New Zealand since she was 11 - she’s now 20 years old and going into her senior year at USC in America’s top ranked women’s team in the best division Pac 12.

“It was fiddly getting visas and exemptions for entering the country, but the USGA were great and got me an elite sport visa to get me there.

“There was lots of paperwork to fill out and having to have negative Covid tests etc.

“We’ve both just passed a Covid test and received our credentials and we’ve been out here practising since November 29, getting acclimatised and getting rid of jet lag and tired bodies etc and doing a bit of prep work with her on her game to be fully prepared for the competition.”

l Ashton’s men got back into competitive action in a Captain’s Four Man Team Turkey Trot medal.

Taking the pick of the big birds were the fab four of G White, D McLaughlin, D Jones and J Robinson with 49.3 taking them well clear of J Kennedy, N Pragnall, A Kay and T Van Rooi 52.9 and C O’Neill, C McCannon junior, B Preece and A Acton 53.2.

l Denton’s men were also in team action in a Texas Scramble won by A Nazir, S White, S Gaughar and H Yousaf with 40.5 ahead of J Curran, S Murphy, M Rogers and C Large 41.7 and Ian Welsby, M Threlfall, N Roberts and B Waterfall 43.8.

The next day, a singles Stableford at Denton was led in by Philip Beard with 37 points from Kevin Brearley 35 and Shahnawaz Gaughar, Stephen White, Marl Alexander and Philip McConnell, all 34.

l Stamford’s men were in a Turkey Shoot Pairs Stableford and stocking up the festive larders were P Capewell and R Croll 45 points, R Jones and D Cranmer 41 and K Walker and M Bardsley and D Furness and P Jackson, N Fish and J Sharples and C Exton and A Wells, all 40.

l A BB Stableford over 12 holes at Saddleworth was a tight contest with P Bolger and T Simpson winning a cpo on 37 points from A Wilde and C Norbury and A and J Jackson.

l There was another fine entry of 126 players for the Balfour and Houldsworth Mixed Team competition for the GS Lancashire Trophy at Withington Golf Club.

This was twice the entry for the competition from 2019 when it was played for as a Team of Four competition for the first time and the host club put on a great show on and off the course to deal with the restrictions imposed by Covid-19.

The early scores were in the mid-70s, with the top one of 78 coming from Sale’s Mobi and Cath Rawthore and Steve Rourke and Julie Matthews.

Then, later in the day, it rose to 81 which proved to be the winning score from Greg Norbury (Flixton GC), Judith Godley (Worsley GC) and Haley and Jeff Stokes (Flixton GC).

It was a memorable day for Greg who had won the trophy in 2017 when it was a pairs competition at Davyhulme Park with Carol Brady as his partner.

The Sale fab four stayed in second spot and there was a cpo on 77 from three teams to secure third spot and it went to Worsley Marriott’s Stephen Murray, Jean Kelly and Allan and Sue Rudman from Bury’s John and Christine Caveney and Kevin and Julie Spleigh.

It was another excellent competition organised by the B and H Committee who gave due praise and thanks to Withington for their excellent support and organisation both on and off the course.

The competition will be held at Leigh Golf Club in 2021.

l The Cheshire Union Of Golf Clubs Centenary Year celebrations in 2020 were frustratingly denied by the Corona virus.

The actual date of the formation of the CUGC was November 20, 1920, and CUGC President David Durling from Shrigley Hall GC outlined the formation and the plans for celebration in 2021.

David, who carrying on in the role for another year, said: “On November 20, 1920, 36 golf clubs gave notice of a willingness to join such a union.

“During the meeting the intention to stage a County Championship the following year was stated.

“As the Royal Liverpool GC was to hold the Amateur Championship in 1921, it was decided that the County Championship would be held at Delamere Forest GC.

“Our planned celebrations for 2020 had to be postponed for reasons about which everyone is aware, but as our centenary year technically starts on November 20, we have the opportunity to stage various events in 2021, and this we intend to do if possible.

“This will include our Centenary County Championship and it is entirely fitting that the venue should be Delamere Forest GC, one hundred years on from the first Championship.

“Let us hope that we can all return to playing the game we love before too long and that 2021 will enable us to celebrate our centenary in the appropriate way.”