Surrey Golf
2024 Rookie League Finals
The 2024 U14 & U18 Rookie League Finals took place at Drift Golf Club on Saturday 7th September.
The U18 final was between Surbiton and Walton Heath, whilst the U14 final was between Burhill and Farnham. The teams consisted of the following players:
Surbiton: Josh Bains, Alex Bocquet, Kallum Jennings, Alexander Walmsley
Walton Heath: Harrison Brindley, George Molloy, Manny Paris, Jack Reid
Burhill: Jude Bayliss, Harry Norris, Tommaso Rossi, Darragh Sidhu
Farnham: Charlie Albert, Ben Hargrave, Patrick Sciberras, Hugo Shaw
In both the U14 & U18 age groups, the Rookie League consists of two fourball better ball matches, with 1 point awarded for each match won (0.5 points for a halved match). In the event of a 1-1 tie taking place in the final, the first named pair will play off in a sudden death format.
Both finals were started by Surrey County Secretary Steve McNeill.
The U18 final took to the course first, and some good golf from Walton Heath saw them get off to a fast start in both matches. The first Walton Heath pair were 1up after 9 holes, whilst the second pair were 5up after as many holes.
The second Walton Heath pair would not relinquish their large advantage, closing their match out on the 15th with a convincing 4&3 win.
The same was not true in the first match, however. Some brilliant golf on the back nine from the Surbiton pair saw them turn their match around, eventually winning the match on the 17th hole.
This meant that the U18 final had finished as a 1-1 draw and was destined for extra holes.
The playoff was to be sudden death over holes 15, 16, 17, & 18 (played as many times as required). All four players hit good tee shots on the first playoff hole, especially Alex Bocquet of Surbiton, who's tee shot finished just shy of the green on the short par 4 15th.
From there, Alex chipped up and holed the putt for a fantastic birdie. Neither of the Walton Heath pair were able to match Alex's birdie, meaning that the win had been secured for Surbiton on the first playoff hole!
The U14 final would prove to be a slightly more one-sided affair; Burhill took early leads in both matches, but especially in the first one, where they were 4up through the first 6 holes!
This was largely due to some excellent golf from Darragh Sidhu in particular, who played brilliantly and even had his first ever hole-in-one on the 6th hole, much to the excitement of the spectators watching on!
In fact, when the first Burhill pair closed their match out 7&6, Darragh was 6 under par for the 12 holes that he had played, which was a fantastic achievement!
In match two, Burhill also played well, and after being 3up after 9 holes, they found themselves dormy 3up standing on the 16th tee. However, refusing to give up, an impressive fightback from the Farnham pair saw them taking the match up the 18th, however they couldn't quite turn it around, and Burhill ended up taking the second match 1up. This meant that Burhill had beaten Farnham 2-0 in the U14 final.
After the golf, all the players received a very welcome meal of sandwiches and chips in the clubhouse, followed by the trophy presentation, which was done by county secretary Steve McNeill.
A massive thank you to the Drift Golf Club for hosting the finals for us, and also for hosting the semi-finals the weekend before. The club members and all the staff were so accommodating and helpful, so we really do appreciate it.
Lastly, congratulations to:
Burhill Golf Club - U14 Rookie League Winners 2024
Surbiton Golf Club - U18 Rookie League Winners 2024
We now look forward to another excellent season of Rookie League matches in 2025!
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