THE ‘Race to Spain’ is on today, as four players chase the glamorous first prize in the Huddersfield Examiner Matchplay final at Meltham.
Jonny Heyes, Chris Holmes, Ben Sharp and Tommy Ward were all battling it out this morning in the semi-finals (drawn prior to the start of play), and this afternoon the two winners will go head-to-head as they bid to win a FREE week’s golfing holiday, which this year is heading for Benidorm on the Spain’s Costa Brava.
Although there are only four players in contention, picking a favourite is a bit like trying to pick a Grand National winner as all four have things in their favour.
Heyes, from Huddersfield Golf Club, is no stranger to the Examiner finals day, this being his third appearance in six attempts.
He is unlikely to be fazed by the occasion having been there before – and having won an overseas holiday in another tournament. Plus the six-handicapper is a regular entrant in the Halifax, Huddersfield Union major competitions, giving him the advantage of age and big match experience.
Similarly Chris Holmes will be making his third appearance in the final, having been involved in the first-ever Examiner Matchplay final, back in 2004 at Fixby, plus a second showing at Crosland Heath in 2006,
A past captain of the Huddersfield Wednesday Society and regular winner there, Holmes, who is a six-handicapper, has the benefit of ‘local knowledge’, as Meltham is his own club, which could well be deciding factor at the end of the day.
Tommy Ward is another past captain of his club, Longley Park, and has the extra stokes in his favour, playing off a handicap of 13.
An ever-present on the Examiner’s Overseas Challenge, this will be Ward’s first-ever finals day on his first attempt, but that is unlikely to put him under any pressure, as the Longley man fought off the challenge of 30-odd golfers to win the Overseas title back in 2006, when the tournament was held in Tavira in Portugal.
The final challenger today is 22-year-old Ben Sharp, who like the first two players, is also now off a mark of six, and he is the only player from outside the district, playing at the Wortley club on the outskirts of Sheffield.
Until recently, Sharp played off five before getting a stroke back, and is the youngest player in the finals, which could be in his favour, as the finals day is played over 36 holes round the challenging Thick Hollins course.
This morning’s two winners will fight out the final in the afternoon, with an expected tee-off time at around 2.30pm (preceded by the third and fourth place play-off). All spectators are welcome.
As well as the prize of a holiday for the winner, there are also prizes for the runner-up, the third and fourth place players.
