The 8th World Hickory Open 2012 – Chairmans Report, Lionel Freedman
(Reprinted with permission from the World Hickory Open website.)
The 8th World Hickory took place on the 8th and 9th October 2012. Very rarely has a hickory golf tournament been blessed with such wonderful weather and also at the end of two days produced such an exiting finish.
Monday 8th October. Monifieth Medal Course.Blue skies gentle breeze. Tees set by the Chairman and pin positions at the discretion of the Greenkeeper. 18 hole Team competition,best score net out of three and first round of 36 hole hickory golf Championship.
After round one the leader was Rick Valentine (75),in second place were Owe Werner(79), Ewan Glen and Alasdair Good on (80). There were 5 players on 81 including past winner Perry Somers and Mike Stevens the National Hickory Champion of America.
In the team competition the winners were Loretto(A) Rick Valentine,John Dunn Butler and George Sutherland.(61) 2nd Place David Kirkwood,Willie Tanner and Colin Sinclair (BGCS) (62) and 3rd David Raistrick,Boris Lietzow and Geoff Bleasby.The winner of the overseas team prize also 4th was Paul Adams,Louis Hattingh and Dave Usendorff (South Africa)(66).
Tuesday 9th October. Carnoustie Burnside Blue skies chilly with a slightly stronger breeze. The second round to complete 36 Hole Championship.
This Proved to be a very long day,with the course set at the tee of the day,and seemed to play in a more difficult manner than Monifieth. However as light began to fade Perry Somers came in with a score of 75 totalling 156. Shortly afterwards Rick Valentine the first round leader let his good score of 75 fade to a second round 81 also for a total of 156, producing the first ever tie in World Hickory.
Sudden death play off over the 1st 324yds and 18th 307yds holes.
Pars and birdies kept the play going until the 6th extra hole with Rick finally coming out on top of Perry with a par 4 after Perry had rimmed out for his. By now the competitors were playing in almost pitch black conditions.
A great winner, Rick Valentine having played in all World Hickories since 2006 and a gallant loser in Perry Somers the 2010 Champion.
See www.worldhickoryopen.com for more results and photos.