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Student Golfers have the right drive to succeed

Our star golfers at St Andrews

Seven students have travelled to St Andrews to represent Hartlepool College at the AoC Sport Golf Open Championships. The competition is an annual event which is open to all colleges from England, Scotland and Wales, and takes place on the renowned Kittocks and Torrance Courses at the Fairmont Hotel, St Andrews.

 

The Open is at the very top end of student challenges, with competing student athlete required to complete 36 holes over the two days the event runs.This year Hartlepool College submitted its biggest ever team, with seven taking part. This was only possible thanks to the generous support of one of the College’s partners, Utility Alliance Ltd., which works from Queen’s Meadow Business Park and is a growing name in the field of energy efficiency and consultancy.

 

Comprised of Team and Individual competitions, from both Gross and Net scores, the College entry was made up of Nathan Wood, Kristopher Ball, Lloyd Thrift, Harry Linighan, Matthew Booth, Harry Booth and Matthew Neill.

Day one proved a tough start for Nathan Wood, who showed spirit and determination to recover for a fantastic 79 (+7) gross score - just three strokes behind the top ten individuals in the country. Lloyd Thrift finished day one tied for second in the net competition after shooting a net score of 68 (-4), and Kristopher Ball shot a respectable net score of 74 (+3).

 

On day two though, conditions took a turn for the worse as 40mph winds swept across both courses, making the Kittocks in particular very difficult to play. Both Nathan and Lloyd struggled to recreate the form they had displayed on day one because of the high winds, though Kristopher Ball fared much better with an incredible net score of 67 (-5). This took Kristopher’s overall score for the net competition to 141, which saw him finish tied for first place.

 

Dan Farman, Sports Maker at HCFE, said ‘It’s been another great experience at this fantastic competition! We’ve had a number of great individual moments, with Kristopher’s second round score being the highlight. The best part of the past two days for me though has been seeing all seven of the team represent the College with such distinction. I’m very proud of all of them!’

 

Clifford Jackson, SCGC professional and HCFE Golf Academy Coach, added ‘I’m so happy for Krissy. He works so hard on the practice ground all week long and it was great to see all that practice come together for him during that second round. All of the team can be proud with how they have carried themselves during these two days of competition and I know that everyone at Hartlepool College and Seaton Carew Golf Club is very proud of them.”

 

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