THE ever-popular Amateur Strokeplay took place on Sunday, and it would be West Bradford Golf Club’s Paddy Gavin who stole the bragging rights on home turf.
Competition was set at the white tees and Gavin hit a total gross score of 137, round one equalling a score of 65 while the second round totalled 72.
Scot Minto of Hanging Heaton Golf Club was his closest competitor, who eventually finished runner-up with a gross score of 140 across both rounds.
Highly regarded as the Bradford Union’s second biggest competition of the year, Gavin expressed his delight to be crowned champion when speaking to the T&A.
He said: “It was a surreal feeling to be honest because there were much better players than me there.
“The main reason I was playing was because it was at my home club; my main goal being to see if I could put in a respectable performance or sneak a prize.
“But when I shot that 65 in the morning on round one, the word had got round and a lot of people from the club (West Bradford) came up to support me on the final round which was extremely humbling.
“So, to go and win it was unthinkable really; it was a very proud moment.”
Discussing his gameplan heading into the competition, Gavin said: “The key for me was to keep the bogeys off that first round, and then the birdies just come in on their own.
“I managed to achieve that and get my personal best (65) on that first round. So, it was a great feeling, and I knew that if I got a respectable score in the second round then it would be difficult for me to be caught.
“A couple of San Miguel’s at the halfway point always helps too,” Gavin joked.
The West Bradford golfer seemed to be feeling the confidence on his return for the second round, as he struck three consecutive par scores on the opening three holes, before landing a birdie on the 4th.
However, Gavin scored seven on hole eight (par 4) to leave the door open to his opponents.
Reflecting on that period, he said: “I’d started really well on the second round until the 8th hole when I got that triple bogey.
“Fortunately, I managed to relax, steady myself again and not completely blow up after that.
“I think I only dropped one more shot in the last ten holes and I managed to keep it nice and steady.”
After reflecting on his “surreal” victory, Gavin admitted that home advantage might have helped his cause.
He said: “I’m 33-years-old now so that means I’ve been a member at West Bradford for 20 years now which is a long time.
“I know the course extremely well and although I played some of my best golf, particularly in that first round, I do think it provided with me a slight advantage and that added confidence.”
Gavin is hoping this victory can provide the club and himself with an extra boost for the rest of the season.
He said: “The club captain - Steve Gallagher - me and him are really good friends so it was an honour to be presented with the trophy by someone so close to me.
“A win like this always provides the club with an opportunity to celebrate with the people at the club and that’s what we did after the competition.
“Hopefully, we can use that feel good factor moving forward for the rest of the season.”
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