KMGC
THE KENT MINIGOLF CLUB
"unus putt rego lemma totus"

THE KENT OPEN 2007

STROKES ADVENTURE GOLF COURSE, MARGATE

NOVEMBER 4th 2007

SEAN 'FREEBIRD' HOMER from the Kent Minigolf Club wins
ANDY 'PLAY-OFF' EXALL from Tunbridge Wells Club 2nd
TIM 'ACEMAN' DAVIES from Planet Hastings 3rd - for full results click here!!

Andy Exall 2nd place                Matt Wood faces the cameras having presented Sean Homer with the Kent Open Trophy           Tim Davies 3rd place

For Photos from the day click here

The final event of the season saw a top notch field turn out at Strokes Adventure Golf Course to compete for the Kent Open 2007. With a line up that included the current top 3 ranked UK players, the World Crazy Golf  and British Champion, alongside the winners of the KIT, the HIT, the Players Championship, the English Open and Planet Hasting Open as well as the current UK course record holder, this was set to be a classy days play of minigolf (and with a dramatic edge of the seat conclusion it didn't fail to deliver!!!). And with prizes up for grabs for the top 4 novices and a plethora of goodies available for holes-in-one it promised to be a great way of signing off the season.

Round 1 got underway and right from the outset it was clear that the scores were going to eclipse anything shot at last years Kent Open. With players having had the experience of taking part in the British Open at Strokes (not forgetting the extensive Kent Minigolf Club presence at the course all year!!!) the scores coming back after one round were very impressive. Top of the bunch saw Tim Witherden from the KMGC (2006 top novice at the KO) bang in an incredible 33 to claim the lead after round one by one stroke from the UK number three, Ted McIver from Planet Hastings. Tied in 3rd place Bill Bullin and Dave Forrest from the KMGC were just one further shot behind and leading a whole raft of top players including Andy Exall, Tim Davies, Chris Harding, Sean Homer, John Moore and Andy Booth.

With the weather holding nicely and players warming to the challenge of the course, Round 2 saw some of the key players make their move towards the top of the leaderboard. Ted produced another very steady round of 38 to take a 3 shot lead on the field as the competition passed the half way mark. Ominously for the local (and somewhat partisan) crowd, the pre-tournament KMGC favourites were being eclipsed by the top ranked players with Andy Exall taking second spot on 75, Tim Davies holding third place with John Moore on 76 (despite Tim's unbelievable 'nearly 3' turning into a 'definite 6' on the much loved 11th - cunningly named Heartbreak Ridge for obvious reasons). Team Kent captain Sean 'Freebird' Homer was sitting in 5th place, leading the way for the KMGC but still 5 shots off the lead. The newly crowned World Crazy Golf Champion Chris Harding produced another solid 39 to round off the top 6, one shot ahead of Dave 'Four strings' Forrest who despite hitting a 44, was still not out of the reckoning on 79. Tim Witherden's early form had taken a knock with a 48 in round two but encouragingly he was still 8 shots clear of the 2nd place novice. Score of the round came from Rocky Bullin, with a terrific round of 35, holding him in 10th place with one round to go.

The break between rounds 2 & 3 saw a glut of activity on the course as the play-offs to decide the hole-in-one winners for each hole were decided (details of who won what can be found in the photo link above!!!) and then the moment of truth came for all players as the final, rolling start round, began. With the leaders due out last this gave the Planet Hastings pairing of Tim & Ted ample opportunity to goad Brian Wood, the course owner, at the apparent lack of performance from the local boys (and girls) who, in Ted's immortal words were "taking one hell of a beating!" from the Hastings dynamic duo... words that within the next 90 minutes would come back to haunt him!!!

With the gathered masses hushed, the 32 brave and determined players took to the course for one last time in the 2007 season with the title of Kent Open champion (and a ranking points fest of 525 points) up for grabs for the winner!! Course and competition debutants Scott Lancley and Nick Bruzon were the first players to make a mark on the leaderboard with personal best scores of 45 & 44 respectively. Youngster Matthew Harding took a leaf out of his old mans book by producing a terrific 43 (and another PB) to take the lead on 142 shots (tied with Nick at this stage). And with the players rolling in off the back nine as the minutes ticked by, the scores began to tumble. Local favourite Matt Wood was the first player to dip under 40 in the final round with a superb 37 doing enough to capture the runner up novice prize of £20 (with Richard Hopkins taking the 3rd place and £15 and Gary Davies 4th place novice and £10). Team Kent were starting to show their teeth on the course with Rocky, Andy Booth, Ruth Bullin and Tim Witherden all producing strong final rounds ending up in 11th, 10th, 9th and 8th places respectively (with Tim taking the top Novice prize for the 2nd year running, this year walking off with £25 and a free BMGA membership for 2008).

Chris Harding and John Moore produced solid final rounds but were pipped to 5th place by a resurgent Bill Bullin who, after a dodgy 2nd round 46, came back in style to card the equal lowest score of the day with a superb 33. And so it left four players to come in to finish off the day. With his form improving, Sean was pushing hard for the honour of the KMGC and with one hole to play was looking at a level par 36. With the crowds gathering at the final 18th hole (aptly named Journeys' End) he lined up the perfect end to the round with an ace, producing a final round of 35 and came into the clubhouse leading the field on 112. The leaders were now approaching the final hole and it was clear that the scores were VERY close. Tim finished off his round with a 2 and ended the competition on 112. Next up came Andy Exall, now one shot behind Tim (and Sean) and showing the form that has taken him into the top 5 ranked players in the UK, banged in an ace to also end his round on a total score of 112. And finally it was down to Ted - an ace would take the title and leave the other three playing off for 2nd, 3rd and 4th places. The ball rolled tantalisingly close but it was a two and the final competition of the season was now set for a BMGA first... a four way play off for the winner!!!

With the crowd gathered around the first hole, the play-off was set to go. First up... Tim 'Aceman' Davies. The crowd hushed, the ball was struck and rolled left of the hole for a comfortable 2. Next up... Andy 'Play-off' Exall. Going for the double from the left of the tee, the ball was struck, the line looked good, the rebound solid, but the ball rolled tantalisingly past the hole, again for a simple 2. Next up... Sean 'Freebird' Homer, boosted by the home supporters and club colleagues cheers. The trusty ferret ball was placed to the right centre of the tee, the crowd hushed again and the ball was struck... good pace, moving slightly right to left... and bang! In the hole to the booming cheers of the crowd. Which left Ted 'Big Top' McIver to play... an ace to take the play off to the 2nd hole, a two and the title is Sean's. Again, like Andy, favouring the rebound shot. The line looked good, the rebound true, but the ball rolled past the right lip leaving Ted to play on for the outstanding places and Sean taking the win (his first of his career) on his home course and picking up a first prize of £60, the Kent Open trophy and the biggest denomination note in the history of minigolf (or any sport!!) - 500 Billion (dinara)!! (Andy went on to ace the 2nd to take the runner up spot and £30, and Tim took the third place and £20 at the fifth with an ace to round off the days play. Ted took fourth place and the sum of £10 to drown his sorrows when back at Hastings!).

The presentations were made (photos in the link above!) and the second annual Kent Open wrapped up a terrific season in great style. Special thanks to Marion 'Double Trouble' Homer for her fantastic organisation and support along with all the members of the KMGC who have made this year one to remember on the coast at Margate!! And of course a huge thankyou goes out to Brian, Frankie and Matt at Strokes for their hospitality throughout the season and unflinching support of the Kent Minigolf Club and the wonderful game of minigolf that we all enjoy so much!!! Last but by no means least, thanks to everyone who played this weekend, coming from far and wide, to support the event - it is hugely appreciated and ensures we had a fitting climax to a great season!!!

Looking forward to seeing you all again in 2008!!!!!

Sean Homer, 5th November 2007

We're always keen to hear from Kent based minigolfers
- where do you play? what's your favourite course?
and if you're interested in joining the Kent Minigolf Club and want to know more
then why not drop us a line at admin@kentminigolfclub.co.uk