Curry’s hot in his big win

Oct 1 2008 by Tim Taylor, The Journal

MICHAEL Curry, twice the Durham county champion, polished off a consistent 2008 season by landing his first big win, capturing the Ravensworth Bowl by two shots from Newcastle United’s former England international, Simon Lee.

Curry, a 26-year-old greenkeeper at the Brancepeth Castle club, who lives in Spennymoor, finished in the top 32 of the English Amateur this season and the last 16 in 2007.

On a rain-free day at Ravensworth, with only a slight breeze getting up in the afternoon, he returned two rounds of 67, six under par for the 36-hole scratch tournament.

Following a double-bogey start to the first round, he fired five birdies before lunch.

A bogey at the fourth in his afternoon round was followed by a run of five birdies in a row, starting at the fifth, and although Curry had two bogeys coming back, he finished on a high.

At the 250-yard par four 18th, a three-wood off the tee left him six feet from the flag. A downhill left-to-right line studded with footprints cost him an eagle, but he closed with a birdie.

WORLD number three Vijay Singh has been ruled of action for at least six weeks – just two days after winning a first prize worth £5.4m in the US Tour’s FedEx Cup.

The 45-year-old Fijian has been advised to rest the left forearm injury which has troubled him for the past few months.