Second Major for Mewse
Richard Mewse Cumbria County Matchplay Champion AND Strokeplay Champion 2018
Richard Mewse became one of a few select golfers to become a double champion. Richard won the Cumbria Union of Golf Clubs Matchplay Championships at Barrow Golf Club over the weekend of 18th and 19th August 2018. This is the second part of the double won by Richard after winning the first part, The CUGC County strokeplay Championships held at Seascale Golf Club on the bank holiday weekend of 26th and 27th May 2018.
The 41 year old Richard, of Workington GC, won the Strokeplay Championships after a 72 hole competition and a sudden death playoff against his fellow county team member James atkinson of Kendal.
Barrow GC was the venue for the County Matchplay Championships which was a four round competition over 2 days. Mewses first opponent was Andrew Wallace of Seascale GC who he despatched very smartly on Saturday morning with a 6 & 5 win. In the afternoon Mewse had the honour of battling the awesome County Captain Neville Johnstone, who has a reputation of being a tough nut to crack. Johnstone lived up to his reputation and pushed Mewse to the 18th hole, a par 4 with a tricky unforgiving uphill green that could make any unsuspecting golfer 3 putt. Mewse had the shortest of putts after the County Captain missed a 4 foot downhill slider to allow Mewse through to the next days play.
On the Sunday morning all eyes were on the weather and typically the clouds had gathered and had drenched the beautifully prepared course but the competition would go on. In the first Semi-Final Mewse had to contend with fellow Workington GC member and great friend Will Bowe,whose reputation for never giving in is legendary. The course would play its part in holding up against the mizzly weather and gave Mewse the opportunity to beat Bowe uncharacteristically 4&3. In the other semi-final the ever chatting Simon Young , would beat the other Workington golfer Johnathan Crosby with some of the finest golf played up till then. The scene was set for a challenging final with Young, the evergreen, highly experienced golfer, playing against the highly motivated Mewse. With scores going one way and then the other it was mewse who gained the advantage and held a lead of 2up to the turn. He then doubled his lead to 4up when Young dipped on holes 11 and 12 with lost balls contributing to Mewses lead. But matchplay can be a funny format and, as in the past 3 rounds, Young gained a second breathe and came back at Mewse with a brilliant tee shot to within 3 feet on the par 3, 15th. Mewse 3 up with 3 to play, then an extraordinary piece of gamesmanship saw Mewse give Young a putt that would normally have been seen down, 2up playing 17th. With the rain clouds gathering the charge by Young continued with his tee shot just off the fairway to the right of the short par 4, but Mewse again hit the middle of the fairway, leaving himself an easy approach to the welcoming green. Young had the tougher approach but put his shot right in the middle of the green and could only watch as Mewse put his ball likewise. Both players had a putt to win the hole but a half was the result which gave Mewse the title with a 2&1 win. Richard Mewse joins a very small club of golfers who are "Double Champions". Richard exclaimed that " I played well to win the Strokeplay but hadn't done much since and was just hoping to play well for as long as possible". His next major event now will be to represent Cumbria in the Champion of Champions at Woodhall Spa in September.
Created by intelligentgolf version 10.1.2.
