Anyone who was paying attention to the weather on the morning of Monday 30 March 2015 would have been forgiven for having flashbacks to the 2014 Dan Cullen when a more than generous downpour resulted in the event being called off.
However, the skies mercifully cleared, and 21 players arrived at a Long Reef course that was looking – and playing – at its best. There were two first timers in serious hickory competition – Warwick Stanwell and Alan McDonald.
For the par 43 over 11 holes, there were some reasonable scratch scores: Rod Clarke benefited from the local knowledge in the pair when he and Les Browne recorded a 43, which included birdies on both the par threes on the first nine; Dennis Sundin and Neville Ryder returned a 45; while the pairings of Tony Mountstephens and Des Froneman and Michael Sheret and Tom Winter came in with 46 apiece.
But . . . . the Dan Cullen is not about scratch scores, and the winners were Dennis Sundin and Neville Ryder from the Cromer Club with a net score of 38.4. Runners-up were Les Browne and Rod Clarke with 40.2, while Tony Mountstephens and Des Froneman filled the third step on the podium with 40.7.
Full Scores
Two Ball | Gross | Handicap | Net |
Dennis Sundin & Neville Ryder | 45 | 6.6 | 38.4 |
Les Browne & Rod Clarke | 43 | 2.8 | 40.2 |
Tony Mounstephens & Des Froneman | 46 | 5.3 | 40.7 |
Alan McDonald & Steve Doorey | 47 | 5.5 | 41.5 |
Tony Pickrell & Martin Pickrell | 48 | 6.0 | 42.0 |
Micheal Sheret & Tom Winter | 46 | 3.7 | 42.3 |
Tom Moore & Geoff Martin | 48 | 5.3 | 42.7 |
Paul Gladwin & Warwick Stanwell | 48 | 3.0 | 45.0 |
Ross Howard & Henry Paterson | 52 | 6.8 | 45.2 |
Bruno Pase & Stephen Fletcher | 52 | 4.7 | 47.3 |
A hearty thanks to Les Browne and the Long Reef Club for organising and hosting the event, and further thanks to all those who participated. It’s probably a bit early to mark your diaries for next year, but keep the event in mind when planning your early 2016!
History of the Dan Cullen Trophy