Smith, Lyn take top titles

Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sport

RUNAWAY BAY -NATIONAL champions John Smith and Maggie Lyn weathered gusty conditions and lightning quick greens to clinch the Men's and Women's titles at the SuperClubs Championship at the SuperClubs Golf Club yesterday.

Smith fired a four-over 76 to complement his opening day 77 for a gross score of 153. That was five strokes better than runner-up Oral Johnson (78-80).

Smith's 76 was also the day's best score as all players struggled to read the breeze and the greens in the final competitive hit-out before next month's National Trials.

"I putted a little better than yesterday but didn't hit the ball all that great," Smith said back in the clubhouse. "After the front nine I was level par but then I played two holes badly (15 and 17 - double bogeys)."

"I knew I had the title wrapped up at (par-three) 16 when I saw (Owen) Samuda coming out of the gully," he said. "I had the guys I was playing with covered but Samuda was the one I was worried about."

Samuda, a recent winner at Constant Spring, came in third with rounds of 78 and 81 (159). National coach Wayne Chai-chong (80-80-160) and first-round leader Greg Wright (77-83-160) were tied for fourth.

Lyn, despite an early challenge from Vittoria Blakeley, was a comfortable eight-stroke victor in the Ladies section.

She followed her superb opening day two-over 74 with a less than stellar 80 for a 154 gross score but it was enough to keep Blakeley (81-81-162) and Darnley Thomas (84-80-164) at bay.

"I was either too short or too long today and there were too many bogeys," Lyn said. "I had a triple bogey (on the par-three 11th hole) and that hurt.

"(Vittoria) was taking shots from me and when I messed up on the par-three she took back three shots and was down only two but I was proud of myself because I had to fight back and regain my composure."

The key hole was the par-four 14th when Blakeley chipped in for birdie and Lyn sank a long putt to salvage par.

"I knew I had to sink that putt or she would have taken two more shots from me. It was then that I felt really good," Lyn said.

In the Men's Senior section, first-round co-leader Tony Gooden (80-82-162) maintained his consistent form to claim the title by a stroke from Bill Telling (84-79-163). Gordon Hutchinson, like Telling, also came home with a seven-over 79 to finish third with a gross score of 164.

Gooden's victory atoned for a play-off hole loss to Harris 'Jolly' Johnson at last year's Labour Day Weekend tournament.

Sydney Fletcher limped home with an 88 yesterday but it was enough to claim the SuperSenior title by two strokes over George Dawkins (87-84-171) and Carl Welsh (87-84).

As expected, Bernadette Lynshue was a comfortable victor in the Ladies Seniors. Her rounds of 86 and 94 (180) put her four strokes ahead of runner-up Carmen Abrahams (89-95).

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