GOLF: Rugby golfer is county's Champion of Champions

The Warwickshire Champion of Champions Tournament was held over the Arden course at the Forest of Arden on October 24. The winners of the Club Championships throughout Warwickshire are invited by the Warwickshire Union to compete against each other to find the ultimate Club Champion.

The Arden course is especially difficult to return a good score and can take its toll on players with some relieved to finish the round.

For the best of the best, playing this event on this course is the reason why so many Club Champions want to compete. This goes some way to express the thoughts of many players who compete in this event, who tend to be quite surprised what some of the scores are in this tournament.

After 18 holes there was a tie for the lead on 73 between Rob Copperthwaite of Stratford-on-Avon and Jack Malone of Rugby, resulting in a play-off.

This is the first time in this event there has been a play-off for the title. The procedure for this tournament is to play the 18th hole until there is an outright winner. After two attempts, the players were still tied. On the third attempt, Rob’s putt missed and his putt for bogey slid by. This led to Jack having two putts for the win, but only needed the one, making good par to take the title.

Rugby’s Jack Malone becomes Warwickshire Champion of Champions for 2018. Significantly, with this win Jack joins two other Champions from Rugby, Dale Marson and Tom Cleaton, who have both won this men’s event in the past making it three Champions in the six years since its inception in 2013.

This Rugby Golf Club county success follows on from Abi Mortimer-Lane’s win in the Ladies County Championship earlier this year.