Glynneath Golf Club

Neil Williams added another Club Championship title to his ever-growing list of golfing achievements last weekend. Despite having arguably the strongest field competing for a number of years, rounds of 75 and 71 were enough to see Neil successfully defend his crown as a number of key challengers failed to produce their usual standard when it mattered most. As always, the course setup pushed the players to play the course at its maximum length and with the greens playing slicker than usual and pins located in positions that demanded some courageous shots, a sub-par round from any player was always going to be a tall order.

After torrential rain on Saturday forced the event to be abandoned, the players had little option but to play both rounds on Sunday - so an early start beckoned. Nicholas Thorburn led the way after Round 1 with a fine 72, closely followed by Leigh Hawkes on 74, then Neil Williams on 75 and Darryl Jones on 76. With all to play for going into the second round, the neutrals were hoping for a tight tussle all the way to the last. It was looking like a two horse race between Nicholas Thorburn and Neil Williams as both had only dropped one shot to par having completed seven holes while Leigh Hawkes failed to get any momentum going and the much awaited challenge from other players further down the field failed to materialise.

The 8th hole was to be a defining moment in deciding the destination of the title. Thorburn started the hole with the three shot cushion he held over Williams at the commencement of the round still fully intact but, somehow, he finished it three shots behind. A stray drive was to find the long rough down the right, but he made the mistake of puting his provisional in exactly the same place. After five minutes of fruitless searching, the lonely walk back to play FIVE from the tee was the only option available. Despite splitting the fairway, a further four shots from just 120 yards back would follow before the ball found the hole.

It was an unfortunate 'wobble' from Thorburn that he will probably want to forget but he recomposed himself on the Par 3 9th to hit an excellent long iron to ten feet. With Williams only able to find the front of the green and facing one of the most difficult putts on the course - needing to negotiate the steep slope up to the top tier, it looked like a great opportunity for Thorburn to close the gap. 
  
Call it luck, call it skill, call it fate - Neil Williams hit the putt of a true champion. His birdie putt sailed into the hole, never looking like it was going anywhere else the moment the ball reached the upper tier. It prompted a swift fist pump that illustrated just how much he wanted to hold onto his title. At that moment, Thorburn's title hopes received a severe body blow as he watched on helplessly. With the chance to at least keep Williams within reach going into the back nine, his own birdie attempt shaved the side of the hole and the resulting par did little to assist his title aspirations.

Williams produced an assured and controlled display of golf through the back nine and, by the time he was walking up the 18th, a healthy cowd had gathered to witness the outcome of this year's Club Championship. Playing the 18th hole in textbook fashion, he calmly rolled a ten footer in for birdie and an excellent round of 71. As it turned out, Darryl Jones was his closest rival after returning another 76.

Club Captain Phil Bowen had commented, before presenting the cup to Neil, on how his welcome return to the club had set a standard for the other low players to reach and he highlighted how the overall standard had noticably improved. Neil's popularity was there for all to see as the crowd of spectators and fellow competitors gave him a rapturous applause as he received the cup. Well done Neil..!