The Ilfracombe Golf Club hosted their annual Monthly Medal Final last Saturday 2 December, with a strong field of contenders facing off against one another in hopes of claiming one of the club’s more coveted honours.
Once a month, and Monthly Medal is played, with the winners from each of the days throughout the year earning their spot in the final, which much like the monthly medal, is a handicapped stroke play event.
After 18 holes, Bevan Pearce sat as clubhouse leader with a score of Nett 69, eyes were fixated on the arrival of what turned out to be the featured group, with both Ben Emmott and Ben Williams yet to finish their respective rounds.
Both players were going toe-to-toe after, matching a great shot with a great shot, seamlessly carrying their 2023 form into the final competition for the 2023 season.
Conditions were hot throughout the day, but temperatures reached their boiling point as both players came down the final stretch, with multiple par-saves from Ben Williams in crunch time becoming crucial.
Williams had 32 shots in the front nine and finished with 35 shots in the back nine to secure a score of 5-under par, and with a handicap of +1, he locked in the win with Nett 68, beating Pearce by just one shot.
Ben Emmott shot the same as Williams, but with a handicap of +3, he carded a score of Nett 70, finishing in third place in the Monthly Medal Final.
Among the other final contenders, Robert Johnstone finished fourth with Nett 74, while Grace Cronin-Jones fell short in her bid to make it back-to-back Monthly Medal Finals, and Malcolm Brown rounded out the pack with a final score of Nett 78.
Caroline Brown had the best score amongst those not competing in the final, finishing with a score of Nett 77 in her return to the sport, while Tom McLellan finished with Nett 79 after a tough day on the tools.
The race to the inaugural SproutAg Cup for the Ilfracombe Player of the Year has been completed, with the winner to be announced at the club’s end-of-season presentation in the coming weeks.
It has been a great year for golf in the Central West, with the arrival of next season already highly anticipated among players.
