Jimmy Bruen, Sutton V Rush, Sunday 21st April.

There was optimism in the air as the Jimmy Bruen team gathered at both locations for what was hoped would be a successful start to our campaign. The weather was very pleasant with sunshine and very little wind which made a pleasant change from recent conditions.

First out for Sutton were the big hitters – Ben Logan bringing some youth to the team paired with the vastly experienced Derek Hunter both playing some great golf and were never behind, making a great par from left of green on 9th allowing them to turn in 1 up. They powered on from there, never taking their foot of the gas and got to dormy 4 up. Despite losing the 15th , they closed out the match comfortably on 16 th for a 3/2 win.

Following were Conor Litchfield and Ronan O’Driscoll had a very tight match, reaching the turn 1 behind. Of note in their front nine has to be the delicate pitch played by Ronan on the 5th from short right to end up within 3 feet of the hole. They made very few mistakes on the back nine and succeeded in winning their match with an excellent par on 17th to win 2/1

In Rush, the two pairs for Sutton, John Carroll and John Ahern along with Niall McNamara and Ken Moore embarked on a spirited match against the Rush home team. Both Sutton teams started strong with the 2 Johns reaching the turn with their nose in front. With the home crowd growing, Rush players displayed robotic precision, sinking numerous long putts. John Carroll wowed spectators with a remarkable drive on the 16th hole, eliciting whispers of amazement from the crowd. Heading into the final holes, Rush held a slim lead. In the first match, the rush pair sealed victory with anther clutch putt on the 18 th green. Meanwhile Ken and Niall fought valiantly but ultimately fell short on the 17th hole.

With the overall match tied at 2-2, the playoff hole unfolded at Rush Golf Club, with Sutton's two Johns representing us. John Carroll led off with a powerful two iron flying 280 yards on the par 4 that found the green side bunker, while Rush safely found the fairway and set up a par putt from three feet. Upon reaching the greenside bunker, Sutton encountered an unfortunate lie as John Carroll’s ball nestled against the bunker’s face, presenting a daunting challenge. Despite the difficult situation, John managed to get the ball out, but it landed in the sand dune, leaving Sutton with a tricky pitch that went to 12-foot putt, which Sutton unfortunately failed to convert. Rush capitalized on the opportunity, sinking a three-foot putt to claim victory in the playoff.