Ed is BB&O Amateur Champion
The best golfers within Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire descended on Frilford Heath to compete in the BB&O Amateur Championship. The Red Course at Frilford was in great condition but the wind and thick rough proved a challenging combination for many of them. Calum Miller (Badgemore Park) went out early and set the pace with a level par (72), that was soon matched by Daniel Butteriss (Beaconsfield) and Jamie Cook (Burford). Oliver Martin (Sand Martins) shot 1-under on the back nine to card a 71 to take the lead. Courage Trophy winner, Tom Wilde (Castle Royle) carded 6 birdies on route to shooting -1. After finishing second last year, Luke Perkins (Frilford Heath) used his home advantage to put himself in contention yet again as he sat alongside Tom and Oliver at -1. Ed Davis (Studley Wood) took control of the event after firing 9 birdies to set a new course record of 65 (-7)! After his fantastic morning round, Ed led by 6 shots heading into the afternoon.
Oliver shot -2 on his back nine to shoot 68 (-4) in the afternoon and take the clubhouse lead on -5. Tim Shin (Calcot Park) threw himself back into contention after an afternoon 68 to finish on -1 after 36 holes. Luke was -4 after 9 holes catching the leaders and finished -5 for his round to take the lead on -6. Ed grinded out a 75 (+3) to keep himself in the running on -4. Harry Thomas (Frilford Heath) climbed up the leaderboard after an afternoon round of 67 (-5) to finish 4 shots back heading into the final day.
Will Tate (Reading) kickstarted his fightback with a 68 (-4) morning round on Saturday. Harry birdied the final hole to stay in the red and sit at -1 after 3 rounds. All the excitement came from the final group. Ed dropped a couple of shots early in the round but fought back to finish +1 for his round and -3 total. Only two players shot three consecutive rounds under par as Oliver and Luke both carded a 71 (-1). Luke went into the final round with a 1 shot lead.
In the afternoon, Ed picked up a couple of early birdies to sit at a -5 total with 9 holes to go. Oliver was very steady until a double bogey on the 8th but he followed it up with a lovely chip in birdie on the next hole to match Ed’s total of -5. Luke continued to be in control as his first dropped shot of the afternoon didn’t come until the 9th but still went into the final holes with a 3 shot lead. A few stray shots and poor bounces on the back nine saw Luke fall away a little to finish -4 for the event. The final few holes proved exciting as Harry Thomas needed a birdie, birdie finish to get to -6 and challenge Ed but two pars left him short on -4. Oliver stepped up to the challenge and birdied his final two holes to finish -5 but the pressure didn’t prove to bother Ed as he continued to sail through the final round bogey-free and fend off the various challenges. Ed’s final round of 68 (-4) left him at 7 under par and two shots clear of the best amateur golfers within Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire who all contributed to a fantastic contest over a demanding golf course.
Congratulations to Ed!
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