Enduring skills were very much in evidence when Eamonn Darcy captured the top, nett award in the 25th Benson and Hedges Links Society Outing at Royal Dublin yesterday. Rain-lashed for much of the journey, Darcy was the only player to break par with an admirable 71.
It was a timely effort, given that he is heading for next week's South African PGA Championship which marks the start of the new season on the PGA European Tour. "After weeks of inactivity, it was nice to drive it so straight," he said afterwards. "My game was generally tidy."
Darcy reaped a rich dividend on three of the par fives, reaching the green at the second, eighth and 11th with three-wood second shots to set-up two-putt birdies. But he gave one of the strokes back at the long 14th which he three-putted for a bogey.
His closest challenger was Royal Dublin international Eamon Brady, who was also two-under for the par fives on the way to a 73 to win the gross prize. Brady would have taken the nett award on the last six, had he not bogeyed the 18th.
Despite miserable conditions earlier in the day, most of the players battled on, even if it was simply to support a team score. This was especially true of Des Smyth who didn't complete a medal round after losing a ball at the first, but contributed seven pars and a birdie to the winning team score of 65.
His partners were Paddy Whelan and Portmarnock's Hugh Mackeown who has taken over as vice-president of the society, now that Smyth has succeeded Christy O'Connor Snr as president.
