Curry wins first in Green Jacket chase
Apr 27 2009 by Tim Taylor, The Journal
THE Green Jacket series burst back on to the scene in style yesterday when English Strokeplay champion Steven Uzzell was upstaged by double Durham County champ Michael Curry.
The 26-year-old Curry became the first leader of the ZFL Golf Order of Merit, shooting 70 67 for a seven-under total of 137 over the Cleveland club’s breezy links on the shores of the North Sea in Redcar, finishing five shots clear.
It was a stellar performance against fellow elite golfers who included not only Humberside’s Uzzell, but also the Durham County matchplay champion Callum Tarren and the home club’s England international Adam Best. They all notched up ranking points earned by a top 20 and ties finish in any of the 10 36-hole scratch open tournaments which make up the much-loved North East amateur series, back on the fixture list after 10 years.
Curry said: “I am going to work my playing schedule for the season around playing in these Order of Merit tournaments. What amateur golfers like is something which stokes up our already intense rivalry.
“It is competitive, and there is the honour at stake for somebody of wearing the Green Jacket when the series ends at my club, Brancepeth Castle, in September. I hope it’s me.”
Curry, who lives in Spennymoor, complimented the Cleveland club on their greens, which means something bearing in mind he works as a greenkeeper at his own club.
“The greens were fast and true,” he said. “They are the best I have played on since I played in this event last year. I holed a lot of six to eight-footers which kept my score going.”
In a tournament also sanctioned by the Yorkshire Order of Merit, Curry shrugged off a four-putt for a double bogey six at the third in his morning round – “I thought at first it was going to be one of those days” – to rattle off birdies at seven, 10, 16 and 18 and finish two under on 70 to share the half-way lead with Tarren.
In his afternoon 67, Curry sprinted out of the blocks with a 40ft birdie putt at the first. Later, he stormed away from the field with three birdies in a row at eight, nine and 10.
He also landed a birdie at the last for a round of five under and a grand total for the day of 11 birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.
Two Northumberland players collected ranking points – fifth-placed John Grey, of Slaley Hall, and Prudhoe’s Danny Shevill, who came 11th.
