 Gordon Moir, (c) of the St Andrews Links Trust presenting the Father & Son Trophy to Holger (l) and Louis (r) Peens of South Africa |
The Seventh Annual Father & Son Tournament at St Andrews has been won by Louis and Holger Peens from South Africa.
In the same week that their fellow countryman Trevor Immelman won the US Masters, the pair from Pretoria Country Club also led wire-to-wire to seal victory in the four round event.
The tournament is held in honour of golf’s original Father & Son, Old Tom Morris and his son Tommy, who between them, won the Open Championship eight times. To this day they remain the youngest and oldest winners of the championship.
It is perhaps particularly poignant this year as 2008 marks 100 years since the passing of Old Tom Morris in May 1908. This year we had a truly global field assembled with teams from nine different countries. Hans and Thomas Luer from Germany were competing for the third year, and we also welcomed back Gregory and Travis Cromwell from Portland, USA, and Ross Valentine from New Zealand who returned with son No. 2 – Hamish.
We also had our first competitors from Morocco in Ahmed and Zakaria Mansouri. Blessed with fine weather throughout the week, the tournament began on Sunday on the New Course.
The Peens showed their early intentions posting the best round of the day – 43 pts (better ball stableford). Shot of the day came from William Burks Snr who nearly holed in one at the par 3 13th – his ball coming to rest an inch from the cup.
On Monday we moved to Kingsbarns where Henry and Nicklaus Cole from Boca Raton, USA, produced a flawless round to collect the daily prize. Steven and Kristopher Gray from Slaley Hall, England, added a second consistent score to join the Peens at the top of the international leaderboard after day 2.
Tuesday saw the teams tackle a benign and defenceless Balcomie Course at Crail. The Peens stamped their authority on the tournament with a record score of 45 pts. Shot of the day came from Ahmed Mansouri, whose pin point drive on the par 3 14th netted the nearest the pin prize.
On Wednesday the teams lined up to take on the famous Old Course. It became a shoot out between the Peens and Grays who, as leaders, were paired together at the rear of the field. The competitors were faced with an unusual east wind, setting a different challenge for player and caddie. The conditions seemed to suit the Americans as the Wyatts and Pio Rodas, from California and Maryland respectively, produced stunning rounds of 43 pts. However, the Peens had enough in their locker, and their final round score of 40 pts saw them clinch the title from the Grays. Round of the day went to Louis Norval, whose gross 76 helped him and son Byron secure 3rd place. |