Stokes and Adams in Spring Classic triumph
13/04/2015
Mark Stokes (Rayleigh Golf Range) and nine-handicap partner Dom Adams surged to a comfortable success in the Searles PGA Spring Classic.
The duo (pictured above, Stokes left) recorded a tally of 80 Stableford points – three more than Andrew George (Ely City) and his club captain Mick Munnelly, who put up a stout defence of the title they landed a year ago.
The opening round, staged on the superb Hunstanton links, saw Stokes and Adams play some fine foursomes golf to notch up 38 points.
That was good enough to bag a slender lead going into the second day at King’s Lynn where their excellent form continued.
Stokes and his partner from Burnham-on-Crouch Golf Club kept their foot on the gas pedal, recording 42 points under better-ball rules.
George and Munnelly, a point behind at the halfway stage, could never quite get on terms despite some good play of their own.
And not even a gross birdie from 14-handicapper Munnelly at the last was able to make any difference to the final outcome.
Stokes said: “We’ve had a great time. Every event I enter I want to win, so this is brilliant – it’s why I play golf.”
He pinpointed a red-hot scoring spree midway between the 11th and 15th holes at Hunstanton as the telling phase of the two days.
Stokes added: “We were going backwards and then had three gross birdies and a net birdie. It made a big difference and changed it all around. It was teamwork.”
James Taverner (Hendon) and Oliver Searle finished third on countback with 75 points. On day two they compiled 44 points, the best betterball tally.
Also on 75 points were Neil Mitchell (Bury Golf Range) and Alex Bridges, along with Murray White (Penfold Park) and Justin Saunders.
