Home advantage pays off for Scullion
22/01/2014
Jerry Scullion made the most of home advantage to win the PGA Ulster Golfers' Alliance event at Kilkeel GC. The club's resident professional scrambled around the front nine but found his form on the back nine to edge out Massereene assistant, Noel Murray.
In conditions described as 'damp but playable', Scullion opened his round with a par but followed that up with dropped shots at the second and fourth when he failed to get up and down on both occasions. He parred the fifth, sixth and seventh, but three putted both the eighth and ninth for bogeys to card a front nine of 41, four over.
He started for home with regulation pars at the 10th and 11th before picking up his first birdie of the day at the par four 12th when he managed to get up and down after his drive finished 50 feet short of the putting surface. Pars at 13 and 14 were followed by further birdies on the par three 15th and the par four 16th. He wrapped up his back nine with pars at 17 and 18 to come home in three under 32 for a total of one over 73.
Murray's round of 74 saw him claim second place ahead of James Orchin (Carrickfergus) and Gary Wardlow (QUB) on 75. The trio of Colin Farr (Whitehead), David Hughes (Massereene) and John Dolan (Dunmurry) finished one shot further back after carding 76s.
The leading amateur was Carnalea member Cyril Cumings with 38 points while the gross winner was Irish International, Dermot McElroy (Ballymena), with a 73.
The team prize went to the Castle Hume quartet of professional Shaun Donnelly and amateur partners, Michael Kearney, Tom Grimley and Roy Cathcart.
The next Ulster Golfers' Alliance outing will be at Kirkistown Castle GC on February 3. The Ulster PGA Grand Prix continues next week at Clandeboye GC.
