The 2013 Isle of Man Close Amateur Golf Championship, sponsored by Grant Thornton, gets underway at Douglas Golf Course on Saturday morning .
As usual, there are high expectations among the island’s top golfers of securing one of the much sought after 16 qualifying spots for next week’s matchplay.
The Douglas venue, which really is in super condition, has a past reputation of producing some home-bred heroes as qualifiers and also when it comes to predicting a winner.
Who will ever forget Ray Sayle’s fairytale win in 1994 or the emotional win in 2007 for Mike Rae. Going further back Gary Ashe, Mike Kewley and yours truly go down as one-off champions at the Douglas venue.
As standards improve, the score needed to make the matchplay gets lower and already 140 is being talked about as being required.
My own personal view is that, due to the usual circumstances of nerves, bad breaks and other factors, it will be a bit higher than this, say 143 and better.
However, we will be shaking hands with some new names on Saturday who will show no fear to whom they have been drawn against in the matchplay stages the following Tuesday evening.
All tie-break situations are resolved on the day and the chosen holes, if this happens, will be the 1st, 2nd, 17th and 18th for a gross score.
If it enters into sudden death then it will be the 1st and 18th that will decide.
With the dominance of defending champion Paul Lowey at present and the non participation of last year’s beaten finalist Tom Harris, it will be left to members of the island golf squad and others to see if it is going to be their year.
Lots of interest will be generated by the usual score boards and catering will be available.
A comprehensive display of Isle of Man Golf history including DVDs etc is to be made available during the week and this, with the viewing facilities at Douglas, will make it the place to be if you are a golf enthusiast .
Isle of Man Golf Union, through its president Joe Boyd, wishes to express its sincere thanks to Dennis McGurgan and Grant Thornton (IoM Ltd) for its sponsorship of the event and we all look forward to an excellent week.
It seems not all that long ago that I can remember watching my first ever championship in 1963, when Bill Ashworth defeated Bernard Jones to win his first championship. Where have the 50 years gone since then?
A list of all the qualifiers and the match play draw will be available in Monday’s Isle of Man Examiner and it will tell many stories of the bad luck, good luck and tension which is always part of the most interesting day in Manx golf.
Tee times for the Grant Thornton Manx Amateur Close Golf Championships to be held at Douglas Golf Club on Saturday, June 15:
7.30am and 12pm - Kevin Moore (0), Paul Lowey (-2), Chris Wolfendale; 7.40am and 12.10pm - Mark Gelling (5), Simon Hawkins (5), Andrew Challenor (0); 7.50am and 12.20pm - Marcus Avery (3), Tom Gandy (0), Daniel Bell (3); 8am and 12.30pm - Brian Kelly (6), Mike Rae (1), Godfrey Kelly (2); 8.10am and 12.40pm - Peter Glover (0), Geoff Skillicorn (6), Jorge Wylde (4); 8.20am and 12.50pm - Paul Mackie (6), Tim Calladine (7), Jeff Ward (5); 8.30 and 1pm - Richard Gault (2), Paul McMullen (2), Peter Skelton (6); 8.40am and 1.10pm - Ben Watson (6), Heman Loubser (2), Robert Noon (5); 8.50am and 1.20pm - Michael Siebke (3), Trevor Peace (3), Jon Corke (1); 9am and 1.30pm - Kieran Tomlinson (5), Neil Caine (1), Neil Harris (5); 9.10 and 1.40pm - Mark Curphey (1), Richard Faragher (4), Lee Hunt (2); 9.20am and 1.50pm - Tam Dick (5), Stuart Urquart (3), Stephen Skillicorn (0); 9.30am and 2pm - Jason Watterson (3), Adam Teare (3), Anthony Crawley (7); 9.40am and 2.10pm - Michael Curphey (3), Steven Boyd (2), Matthew Nicholson (7); 9.50am and 2.20pm - Gary Corlett (5), Jamie Arneil (1), Keith Ward (4); 10am and 2.30pm - Neil Morrison (7), Charles Garside (5), Mark Edward Sutton (1); 10.10am and 2.40pm - Stuart Douglas (6), Craig Astin (2), Craig Taylor (5); 10.20am and 2.50pm - Liam Cowin (2), Alan Gault (6), David Sutton (2); 10.30am and 3pm - Daryl Callister (1), Richard Skillicorn (2), Steve Jeffers (3); 10.40am and 3.10pm - Stuart Wallace (4), Karl Logan (4), Steve Mitchell (5); 10.50am and 3.20pm - John F. McMullen (6), Marc Harrison (3), Donald Beggs (3); 11am and 3.30pm - Paul Allison (5), Alex McAuley (5), Colin Taylor (6); 11.10am and 3.40pm - Gerald Bradley (4), Julian Sutton (2), Matthew Astall (5); 11.20am and 3.50pm - Roy Norman (6), Lee Savage (7), Peter Knight (3).
Following the qualifying competition, the knock-out stages will be held as follows at Douglas: Last 16 on Tuesday, June 18 from 4.30pm; Quarter-finals on Wednesday, June 19 at 4.30pm; Semi-finals on Thursday, June 20 at 5pm; Championship final on Saturday, June 22 from 10am and 2pm.