It was a moody morning at St Andrews, with overcast skies and a light drizzle — the kind of weather that makes you wonder whether you’re in Pattaya or preparing for The Open Championship. The drizzle did, however, do one great thing — adding exceptional value to the recently cored greens, which rolled somewhere between “interesting” and “impossible.”
But some thrived in the slop.
1st – Mark “Smoothie” Smith (19) – 41 points
Smoothie was on fire today, or at least slightly warm. Rumour has it he’s already been asked to hand back at least two shots after this performance. The handicap committee has been seen sharpening their pencils.
2nd – Michael Lupton (
– 32 points
– 32 pointsMichael played steady golf and took home two bottles of bourbon, which he will likely use to either celebrate or forget the last few holes — depending on who you ask.
3rd – Grant Pride ( – 30 points (triple countback)
– 30 points (triple countback)A gritty performance from Grant, who won the triple countback battle that will surely go down in the history books as “The Countback of 2025.”
4th – Soren Hansen (18) – 30 points
Soren matched Grant point-for-point but was edged out by decimal drama. Still, he wasn’t done yet…
5th – Darryl Creighton (19) – 30 points
Captain Creighton rounded out the top five, narrowly missing out on silverware but never short of stories for the bar.
Near Pins
Hole 3 – Sherlock Holmes: A “lazy” 7 iron to the green, followed by a “detective-level” two-putt par.
Hole 10 – Soren Hansen: A cracking 5 iron into the wind to three feet — a proper golfer’s shot and a rare birdie sighting.
Despite the soggy start and the aerated greens, spirits were high, banter was flying, and the Links lads once again proved that no weather, no core holes, and no lost golf balls can stop a good day out.
Next stop: fairer weather, fewer holes in the greens, and hopefully fewer excuses!