On Sunday, 11th June, we saw a full field of 157 players compete in the 2023 Handsworth Open, one of whom would be crowned champion and see their name engraved on the club’s main honours board forever.
The first group teed off at 7:30 am, and groups continued going out until 2:30 pm. The main part of the day was beautifully hot and sunny, which meant that the golf cart providing cold drinks went down well.
As always in the Open, the course was set up to be tough but fair. As we can see by the scoring, only six players broke their handicap.
The dark clouds came in as the last few groups approached the final hole. Fortunately, they managed to finish before the rain descended. What excellent timing from Competitions Director and organiser Neil Kelly.
Competition Result
The net competition was closely fought out, with Mandeep Randhawa winning on countback from Matthew McKean – both having shot a net 66.
In third place was Steven Howard with a net 68. You can see the competition result here.
The gross competition was very much a Handsworth affair, with Phil Murphy posting an impressive 73 to take the spoils.
Our thanks go to the Kitchen staff, Steve Price and the Captain, who kept the barbecue running between 1 pm and 8 pm.
The captain Keith Rigby thanked Mel and her bar staff for their tireless work keeping the extremely thirsty players well-watered.
A special thanks also went to our Club Professional LeeBashford & Assistant Professional Paul Alldritt for their efforts in organising the day, and to Course Manager Gareth Waite and his team for presenting the course in such excellent condition.
The biggest thanks from the captain was to everyone who played in the event. We hope everyone enjoyed the day and will return next year. A little rumour went around that this was the case as those who stayed late enjoyed the music, dancing in the clubhouse, and a few beers!
That’s what happens at events when the rain comes late!
