CLICK LOGO TO SPONSOR CLIFF TO ACHIEVE HIS £10,000 TARGET
Having abandoned the first date due to inclement weather, and NHGC not having had any rain to speak of since that day, standing on the First Tee in pouring rain at 5.20 am on Thursday 18th July was more than a little frustrating. When Cliff then missed a two-foot putt for a Par on the 1st green, followed by one of a similar margin on the 4th, and scoring only 3 Pars in the first round, he admitted it felt that the Gods were conspiring against him. The Putter wasn’t just cold at that stage it was frozen.
When the rain stopped about 10 o’clock and the glove, the grips and his sodden shoes dried out, and he stopped complaining about it all, things got better. How sunshine on your back makes a difference. Six Pars in the second round, followed by five in the third, started to put Cliff back on track for the 30 he had hoped to score. A chance meeting, and a moan about the poor start, to Coach Lewi, was the turning point however. When Lewi told Cliff to pull his finger out; play as he knows he can; double his total at the very least; Lewi turned his back and walked away, Cliff felt (and knew) he was absolutely right.
Anyway, the rest is history – the Putter got hot. Cliff scored nine in the fourth round (including a run of five on the trot); and ten in the last round including a birdie on the 7th (birdies count double in a PAR-athon), and finished the fifth round at 8.50 pm with birdies on the 17th and 18th. A majestic finish indeed. 33 (gross) Pars in total. Happy chappy!