Local Golf news

Nick Laferla followed up his Creasy Cup success by winning the Scratch Challenge Cup, one of the four major competitions played annually at the Royal Malta Golf Club.

'The Scratch' takes place over two consecutive days and is open to all players with a handicap of 18 or under. However, the handicap limit only serves to ensure that players of a proven ability take part, since the competition itself is played with no handicap allowance.

The first day was very keenly contested with 48 eligible players taking part. Laferla came in with a score of 76, closely followed by Peter Satariano and Warren Alcock and a further seven players with a score of 79.

The second day saw a slight upset to the top of the table with Nicholas Beck and Ken Waddington both carding a 78 while Laferla and Nigel Hall both recorded a 79.

The two-day aggregate score left Laferla with a winning total of 155. Hall placed second with 157 and young Beck finished a creditable third, a shot behind.

The Bandit's Cup, played concurrently with the Saturday round of the Scratch Challenge, but reserved for players of 19 handicap and over, was won by Tony Bonello with a net score of 63 followed by Doug McQueen with 69.

Wedgwood Trophy

Although it is possible to play golf all year round in Malta, the actual competition season runs from September to May since the summer months are considered by many as too hot for serious competition.

Spring heralds the play for the "major" trophies - competitions which are run over more than one day.

The first of the local majors is the Wedgwood Trophy which is played over two consecutive Saturdays. On the first day scoring is done on the Stableford system. The second day is Medal play.

The score of the first day is then deducted from that of the second day to arrive at the net score for each player. This unique scoring system was devised by John Delia, a long-standing golfer who also sponsors the competition annually. The winner is invariably the player who plays better than his handicap on both days.

This year's edition was played in near perfect conditions on both days and this was reflected in the good scores returned by the participants.

Mangion's winning score was 28 followed by Paul Gray and Alfie Lang who shared second place with a 31. This was the second time that Mangion won the Wedgwood. He was also runner-up in 2004.

Malta vs The Rest

The 31st annual Malta vs The Rest match starts on April 15, having been postponed from its traditional autumn fixture because of the laying of the new greens. The sides have an equal number of wins, with three matches halved.

The tournament is symbolised by a magnificent limited edition Wilkinson sword which was presented to the Royal Malta Golf Club by the British Residents Association in 1973, to be played for by teams made up of Maltese nationals versus a team representing expatriates living in Malta.

Over the years the format of the match has seen several changes. Currently the match takes place over three consecutive days. Friday's round consists of six foursomes while six four-ball-better-ball matches are played on Saturday.

The all-important round on Sunday sees the 12 players on each side pitted against each other in individual matches. The Saturday round is complemented by a Stableford competition for non-team members.

However, the winner of the Stableford will award one of the teams with a bonus point, depending on the nationality of the winner.

The selection of teams takes into account players' performances during the previous season. Eight of the players on each side earn their place through an order of merit system. The Captain and three other wild cards make up teams of 12 players each side. Needless to say, there is a large amount of lobbying for a wild card slot and the captains of both sides are often discomfited by having to make a choice.

Barclays Cup

This is one of the oldest competitions in local sports and annually attracts a large field of competitors. This is the ninth year that Barclays will be sponsors.

The cup was first contested for in 1891 when golf was still being played in and around the ditches formed by the fortifications around Valletta. The club has a very interesting set of photographs from the era hanging in the clubhouse. The original cup itself is still in existence.

Along with the Scratch Challenge Cup and the Foursomes Challenge Cup it is among the club's most-prized possessions.

As the name implies, the Barclays Handicap Challenge Cup is open to all players with an official golf handicap, although a maximum allowance of 18 strokes is imposed. This makes it very difficult to forecast a winner but players who regularly play to their handicap will surely feature.

Rivalry is bound to be very keen as this is the most prestigious competition other than the Scratch and the Championship which are played off scratch. A likely winning score would be around 128 net.

Instruction course... a success

During December 2004, the Golf Club announced a three-month instruction course for those interested in the game. This was a resounding success with a total of 37 persons applying and taking part.

Other than free membership, equipment was loaned to participants, and all they had to pay for was the actual lessons, which were also offered at a reduced price.

The new recruits have reached the stage where they are actually going out on the course to play in their own competitions.

In view of this success another date has been set for a second course to commence during the first week of April and applications are available form the golf office or by phoning Tony Bonello on 21-229019.