The 2016-17 Winter Tour will be administered by Mr la-di-da Gunner Graham, who takes over the position of Tour Organiser from Terry Scott.
Terry says thanks to all of you and wishes Mr la-di-da Gunner Graham the best of luck
The conclusion of the 2015-16 Winter Tour saw a tight tussle, with a number of players in the mix. Ultimately however it was the Jazz Man, Kenny Gee, who finished top of the charts after a 2nd place in the final round at Thorpeness. The bonus points on offer in the final round helped Kenny overtake previous leader Mark Brewer, who finished tied second in the overall standings with Dave Melvin. Richard Mitchell’s fine performance at Thorpeness also helped move him up the final standings to take 4th place.
As a founder Tour member Kenny was a popular winner and his victory speech was well received, even though nobody could understand a word.
FINAL TOUR STANDINGS:
Player | East Herts | Thetford | Gog Magog | Felixstowe | Newmarket | Thorpeness | Best 4 Scores |
K Gee | 40 | 26 | 19 | 35 | 22 | 55 | 156 |
M Brewer | 50 | 28 | 50 | 22 | 25 | 153 | |
D Melvin | 50 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 35 | 33 | 153 |
R Mitchell | 30 | 26 | 19 | 28 | 10 | 55 | 139 |
M Groves | 20 | 22 | 50 | 20 | 26 | 33 | 131 |
B O’Riordan | 14 | 13 | 26 | 13 | 14 | 70 | 124 |
R Barrell | 40 | 32 | 30 | 17 | 21 | 123 | |
S Kelly | 14 | 6 | 32 | 28 | 40 | 19 | 119 |
R Potter | 16 | 40 | 22 | 16 | 22 | 35 | 119 |
P Simons | 13 | 10 | 50 | 33 | 106 | ||
I Davis | 20 | 35 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 104 |
A Wiffen | 30 | 8 | 22 | 28 | 14 | 24 | 104 |
K Thomson | 12 | 32 | 10 | 28 | 14 | 27 | 101 |
M Reeves | 8 | 3 | 50 | 8 | 30 | 96 | |
P Moreton | 24 | 32 | 40 | 96 | |||
J Rycroft | 20 | 8 | 20 | 30 | 21 | 91 | |
A Cuthbertson | 9 | 18 | 24 | 40 | 91 | ||
K Hamman | 40 | 13 | 35 | 88 | |||
A Goldsmith | 30 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 6 | 81 | |
M Sutton | 22 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 75 | |
K Winckle | 20 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 22 | 17 | 74 |
S Blackburn | 50 | 11 | 61 | ||||
K Carling | 12 | 4 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 58 |
M Moss | 6 | 11 | 8 | 24 | 49 | ||
F Ladkin | 24 | 14 | 6 | 44 | |||
P Buchan | 16 | 22 | 38 | ||||
S Hockley | 10 | 13 | 14 | 37 | |||
P Davies | 18 | 10 | 28 | ||||
J Warren | 18 | 18 | |||||
R Goddard | 15 | 15 | |||||
B Cook | 9 | 6 | 15 | ||||
J Goodwin | 12 | 12 | |||||
R Jiggins | 9 | 9 |
A strong field headed to Thorpeness for Round 6 of the 2015-16 Winter Tour, with a number of players still in contention for the overall Tour Championship.
However it was an unruffled Billy O’Riordan who proved to be head and shoulders above the rest of the field. Billy put on the style to finish with 35 points and take the money, ahead of Richard Mitchell and Kenny Gee in joint second place. Andy Cuthbertson finished in 4th place to pick up his first winnings of the 2015-16 Tour.
Round 6 (Thorpeness) Scores:
PLAYER | Score | Tour Points | Prize |
B O’Riordan | 35 | 70 | £60 |
K Gee | 34 | 55 | £40 |
R Mitchell | 34 | 55 | £40 |
A Cuthbertson | 31 | 40 | £20 |
R Potter | 30 | 35 | |
D Melvin | 28 | 33 | |
M Groves | 28 | 33 | |
P Simons | 28 | 33 | |
K Thomson | 27 | 27 | |
M Brewer | 26 | 25 | |
A Wiffen | 25 | 24 | |
K Carling | 25 | 24 | |
M Moss | 25 | 24 | |
R Barrell | 24 | 21 | |
J Rycroft | 24 | 21 | |
S Kelly | 22 | 19 | |
M Sutton | 19 | 18 | |
I Davis | 18 | 17 | |
K Winckle | 18 | 17 | |
D Wager | 17 | 15 |
Round 5 of the Winter Tour saw the field take on the excellent Links course at Newmarket in clear, but cold conditions.
The course was in great shape, leading to some very good scores, but nobody could catch the runaway winner, Peter Simons, who stormed clear of the field with an amazing 46 points. Simons, or Hammy to his friends, finished 7 points clear of runner up Sean Kelly who fired a fine 39 points. Dave Melvin also managed 39 points, but his one point deduction meant he had to settle for a tie for 3rd place with Keith Hamman on 38 points. Tied 4th, a point further back, were Mark Reeves and Jeff Rycroft.
In the overall Tour rankings Melvin closed the gap on Tour leader Mark Brewer and opened a lead over Kenny Gee in 3rd place. Meanwhile Rob Barrell moved in to the top 4, just ahead of Mike Groves and Sean Kelly. As the Tour heads for the final round at Thorpeness there are still as many as 10 players who can still win the overall title.
PLAYER | Score | Tour Points | Prize | Deduction |
P Simons | 46 | 50 | £60.00 | -3 |
S Kelly | 39 | 40 | £40.00 | -2 |
D Melvin | 39-1 = 38 | 35 | £25.00 | -1 |
K Hamman | 38 | 35 | £25.00 | -1 |
M Reeves | 37 | 30 | £10.00 | -0.5 |
J Rycroft | 37 | 30 | £10.00 | -0.5 |
M Groves | 36 | 26 | ||
A Cuthbertson | 35 | 24 | ||
M Brewer | 36-3 = 33 | 22 | ||
K Gee | 34-1 = 33 | 22 | ||
R Potter | 33 | 22 | ||
K Winckle | 33 | 22 | ||
R Barrell | 33-0.5 = 32.5 | 17 | ||
M Sutton | 32 | 16 | ||
I Davis | 32 | 16 | ||
K Thomson | 31 | 14 | ||
A Wiffen | 31 | 14 | ||
B O’Riordan | 31 | 14 | ||
S Hockley | 31 | 14 | ||
R Mitchell | 30 | 10 | ||
P Davies | 30 | 10 | ||
M Moss | 29 | 8 | ||
K Carling | 28 | 7 | ||
A Goldsmith | 25 | 6 | ||
F Ladkin | 25 | 6 |
Mark Brewer breezed to the top of the Winter Tour standings at a windswept Felixstowe, picking up his second win in 3 outings. Despite a slightly stuttering end to his round he finished with 33 points, which after his 1 point deduction was still good enough to take first place.
Running Brewer close was Paul Moreton who managed 32 points, but his half point deduction (carried forward from Thetford) meant he finished runner up. A mere half point further back were Dave Melvin and Kenny Gee who moved into joint second place in the overall Tour standings. Robert Barrell also managed to tiptoe into the money and creep up the overall leaderboard.
The next round will see the leading runners get underway at Newmarket, with most of the field hoping that Mr Brewer will start to find the going a bit tougher.
PLAYER | Score | Tour Points | Prize | Deduction |
M Brewer | 33-1 = 32 | 50 | £50.00 | -3 |
P Moreton | 32-0.5 = 31.5 | 40 | £40.00 | -2 |
K Gee | 31 | 35 | £25.00 | -1 |
D Melvin | 31 | 35 | £25.00 | -1 |
R Barrell | 31-0.5 = 30.5 | 30 | £10.00 | -0.5 |
S Kelly | 32-2 = 30 | 28 | ||
R Mitchell | 30 | 28 | ||
K Thomson | 30 | 28 | ||
A Wiffen | 30 | 28 | ||
M Groves | 30-3 = 27 | 20 | ||
J Rycroft | 27 | 20 | ||
P Davies | 28-2 = 26 | 18 | ||
M Sutton | 26 | 18 | ||
I Davis | 27-2= 25 | 16 | ||
A Goldsmith | 25 | 16 | ||
R Potter | 25 | 16 | ||
B O’Riordan | 24 | 13 | ||
K Winckle | 24 | 13 | ||
S Blackburn | 26-3 = 23 | 11 | ||
P Simons | 22 | 10 | ||
R Jiggins | 21 | 9 | ||
M Reeves | 22-3 = 19 | 8 | ||
K Carling | 18 | 7 | ||
B Cook | 16 | 6 |
Round 3 of the 2015-16 Winter Tour saw 21 players head to Gog Magog in some windy and damp conditions. As usual the Old Course provided a good challenge and the day finished with a very tight leaderboard.
There was a three way tie at the top with Mark Reeves and Mike Groves both recording 35 points to match Steve Blackburn who finished with the same score after his 1 point guest deduction.
Next in the pecking order was Sean Kelly with 34 points, matched by Ian Davis after his 1 point deduction. A further point back was Mark Brewer who again finished in the money despite his 3 point deduction.
There was also plenty of change in the overall standings, with Groves moving into top spot, just ahead of Davis, with Kenny Gee and Dave Melvin close behind.
PLAYER | Score | Tour Points | Prize | Deduction |
M Groves | 35 | 50 | £40.00 | -3 |
M Reeves | 35 | 50 | £40.00 | -3 |
S Blackburn | 36-1 = 35 | 50 | £40.00 | -3 |
S Kelly | 34 | 32 | £20.00 | -2 |
I Davis | 35-1 = 34 | 32 | £20.00 | -2 |
M Brewer | 36-3 = 33 | 28 | £10.00 | -1 |
B O’Riordan | 32 | 26 | ||
D Melvin | 32 | 26 | ||
A Wiffen | 31 | 22 | ||
R Potter | 33-2 = 31 | 22 | ||
K Gee | 30 | 19 | ||
R Mitchell | 30 | 19 | ||
M Sutton | 29 | 17 | ||
A Goldsmith | 29 | 17 | ||
K Carling | 27 | 15 | ||
K Winckle | 26 | 14 | ||
F Ladkin | 26 | 14 | ||
J Goodwin | 27-1 = 26 | 12 | ||
M Moss | 25 | 11 | ||
K Thomson | 25-0.5 = 24.5 | 10 | ||
B Cook | 23-1 = 22 | 9 |
Round 2 of this year’s Winter Tour saw 27 players take on an excellent course at Thetford, in some cold and windy conditions.
One player who was hot in the cool conditions was Mark Brewer, who breezed round in 40 points to take the first place money. Robert Potter also played some great golf to finish second on 38 points, just ahead of reigning Tour Champion Ian Davis, who returned 37 points without breaking sweat. These top 3 finished well clear of the field and will receive points deductions of 3, 2 and 1 points respectively when the Tour heads to Gog Magog in December.
Heading the rest of the field, sharing 4th place on 34 points were Paul Moreton, Kevin Thomson and Robert Barrell, who all receive a half point deduction next time out.
Robert Barrell’s score was notable as he had been carrying a 2 point deduction from East Herts and now heads the Tour points table.
Thetford Scores:
PLAYER | Score | Tour Points | Prize | Deduction |
M Brewer | 40 | 50 | £70.00 | -3 |
R Potter | 38 | 40 | £50.00 | -2 |
I Davis | 37 | 35 | £30.00 | -1 |
K Thomson | 34 | 32 | £10.00 | -0.5 |
P Moreton | 34 | 32 | £10.00 | -0.5 |
R Barrell (-2) | 34 | 32 | £10.00 | -0.5 |
K Gee (-2) | 33 | 26 | ||
R Mitchell (-1) | 33 | 26 | ||
M Groves | 32 | 22 | ||
M Sutton | 32 | 22 | ||
P Buchan | 32 | 22 | ||
A Cuthbertson | 31 | 18 | ||
A Goldsmith (-1) | 31 | 18 | ||
J Warren (-1) | 31 | 18 | ||
K Winckle | 30 | 15 | ||
R Goddard (-1) | 30 | 15 | ||
B O’Riordan | 29 | 13 | ||
K Hamman (-2) | 29 | 13 | ||
P Simons | 29 | 13 | ||
S Hockley | 29 | 13 | ||
D Melvin (-3) | 28 | 9 | ||
A Wiffen (-1) | 27 | 8 | ||
J Rycroft | 27 | 8 | ||
M Moss | 25 | 6 | ||
S Kelly | 25 | 6 | ||
K Carling | 21 | 4 | ||
M Reeves | 19 | 3 |
The 2015-16 edition of the Winter Tour kicked off with a trip to East Herts, which despite the damp conditions underfoot, provided a good test for the 22 man field.
The wet ground obviously suited Dave Melvin who showed the field a clean pair of heels with a fine score of 37 points. Dave’s first prize just about covered the cost of the new pair of shoes he had to buy after leaving his shoes at home. Dave will now carry a 3 point deduction in the next round at Thetford.
Sharing the 2nd place money on 36 points were Rob Barrell, Kenny Gee and Keith Hamman who will all suffer a 2 point deduction at Thetford. Richard Mitchell, Andy Goldsmith and Andy Wiffen also finished in the money on 33 points. They will each receive a 1 point deduction at Thetford
East Herts Final Scores
PLAYER | Score | Tour Points | Prize | Deduction |
D Melvin | 37 | 50 | £60.00 | 3 |
R Barrell | 36 | 40 | £20.00 | 2 |
K Hamman | 36 | 40 | £20.00 | 2 |
K Gee | 36 | 40 | £20.00 | 2 |
R Mitchell | 33 | 30 | £10.00 | 1 |
A Wiffen | 33 | 30 | £10.00 | 1 |
A Goldsmith | 33 | 30 | £10.00 | 1 |
F Ladkin | 32 | 24 | ||
P Moreton | 32 | 24 | ||
M Groves | 31 | 20 | ||
K Winckle | 31 | 20 | ||
J Rycroft | 31 | 20 | ||
I Davis | 31 | 20 | ||
R Potter | 30 | 16 | ||
P Buchan | 30 | 16 | ||
S Kelly | 29 | 14 | ||
B O’Riordan | 29 | 14 | ||
K Thomson | 28 | 12 | ||
K Carling | 28 | 12 | ||
S Hockley | 27 | 10 | ||
A Cuthbertson | 26 | 9 | ||
M Reeves | 24 | 8 |
The final round of the 2014-15 Winter Tour was played over the demanding Shore and Dunes layout at Princes. Not only was their a stiff breeze to contend with, but most of the field also had to cope with the after effects of the previous night’s Tour Dinner.
Despite struggling to find his way to the first tee after zero hours sleep, Kevin Thomson smoked it round in a magnificent 36 points to take the first place money. Â Rob Barrell and Jeff Rycroft shared second place with 33 points to both improve their overall points standings. Â Andrew Cuthbertson shared the remaining prize money on 31 points with Mike Moss and Rob Goddard, who both finished in the prizes for the second day running, despite their 3 point deductions.
In the overall standings Ian Davis took the title of Tour Champion, together with significant grief over his handicap. Two strong rounds at Princes saw Rob Goddard take second place, just ahead of Rob Barrell in third. Behind these 3 players, Jeff Rycroft’s fine final round saw him sneak into 4th place overall
Princes Day 2
PLAYER | Points | Prize |
K Thomson | 36 | £60.00 |
R Barrell | 33 | £40.00 |
J Rycroft | 33 | £40.00 |
M Moss | 31 | £20.00 |
R Goddard | 31 | £20.00 |
A Cuthbertson | 31 | £20.00 |
I Davis | 30 | |
M Sutton | 30 | |
M Reeves | 30 | |
J Yacoob | 30 | |
J Mangan | 30 | |
R Mitchell | 29 | |
B O’Riordan | 29 | |
R Potter | 28 | |
S Hockley | 28 | |
P Buchan | 27 | |
M Groves | 27 | |
M Brewer | 26 | |
W Beckwith | 26 | |
K Winckle | 23 | |
P Moreton | 23 | |
D Melvin | 22 | |
F Ladkin | 18 |
The Winter Tour headed to Princes GC in Kent for this season’s finale. Day 1 was played over the Himalayas & Shore and finished with 5 players sharing top position with 35 points. The famous five sharing the money were Dave Melvin, Mike Moss, Mick “Spongebob” Sutton, Rob Goddard and Paul Moreton. One point further back was Tour Commissioner Mike Groves.
Round 1 was followed by the Tour Awards Dinner, with several players being recognised for their exploits and achievements across the year, whilst others managed to drink right through to breakfast!
Princes Day 1
PLAYER | Points | Prize | Deduction |
D Melvin | 35 | £35.00 | 3 |
M Moss | 35 | £35.00 | 3 |
R Goddard | 35 | £35.00 | 3 |
M Sutton | 35 | £35.00 | 3 |
P Moreton | 35 | £35.00 | 3 |
M Groves | 34 | £25.00 | 2 |
I Davis | 32 | ||
R Mitchell | 31.5 | ||
R Potter | 31 | ||
S Hockley | 31 | ||
K Gee | 30 | ||
M Brewer | 30 | ||
K Thomson | 30 | ||
P Buchan | 29 | ||
J Rycroft | 29 | ||
M Reeves | 29 | ||
A Cuthbertson | 28 | ||
K Winckle | 28 | ||
R Barrell | 27 | ||
B O’Riordan | 22 | ||
J Yacoob | 21 | ||
F Ladkin | 20 | ||
W Beckwith | 20 | ||
J Mangan | 16 |