Talented Conroy crowned British schools champ
WHAT STARTED as a dream became a reality for Enniscorthy golfer Paul Conroy last week as he was crowned British schools champion.
Paul was part of the team representing the Darren Clarke Golf School in the British Schools and Colleges Championships at Trevose Golf Club.
It was a two-day event with individual and team crowns to play for. Paul produced rounds of 67 and 72 to finish one shot clear of the field and take the victory. Paul described his first round as one of the best scores he has ever produced. In the last group, Paul produced an awesome 67 (-5) in breezy conditions to hold an overnight lead.
A round which included seven birdies and just two pars was one that Paul will never forget. Starting with a great par save on the first followed by a par on the second before a dropped shot on the third, Paul then kicked into gear on the fourth.
Three birdies in a row from the fourth to the sixth gave Paul the platform to build from. Two more pars on the seventh and eighth before another great birdie on nine left Paul three under par for his first nine holes.
Paul continued on his fine scoring on the back nine. Another birdie on the par five tenth hole followed by a par on the long par three eleventh hole gave Paul the perfect start to the back nine.
He then followed that with a birdie on twelve, bogey on the 13th, and another birdie on the 14th.
This left Paul five under par with four holes remaining. Paul continued on his aggressive style of play and was extremely unlucky not to find more birdies. However, pars on his remaining four holes proved enough to see him finish the opening day as the leader. On day two Paul was playing in the first group. Rain early on made things slightly more difficult but the calm conditions were very beneficial.
He described himself as a little nervous but said he also felt excited, especially throughout his round as he began to make birdies. It was a round which again started with two pars before a dropped shot on the tricky par three third hole.
Pars on his next five holes left Paul one over but four under for the tournament. A fantastic drive down the par five ninth hole and an even better iron shot to five feet with an eagle putt to match meant Paul finished one under for his front nine and six under for the tournament. Another excellently played par five from Paul on the tenth hole left him with yet another great chance for eagle.
Paul went on to make his birdie to take him to two under par.
A good par on the eleventh followed by a disappointing triple bogey dropped Paul back to one over par for his round.
However, Paul once again showed tremendous character to bounce back with a birdie on the 13th hole to take him back to level par. With his excellent ball striking tee to green, he continued to give himself more birdie opportunities on his final five holes.
However, it was five pars to finish, giving him a very solid round of level par to leave him five under for the tournament.
It was an anxious wait for Paul to find out the incoming scores, but in the end he had enough to take the victory by a one-shot margin. Paul played excellently right throughout the whole week and fully deserved the victory.
‘I was nervous on the final hole but I was still looking to make birdie so that helped,’ he said.
‘It feels good to be a British schools and colleges champion and it has given me lots of confidence for future tournaments.
‘It was a really good tournament and it was great to go over there with the rest of the lads and experience it all. The golf course was fantastic and the greens were amongst the quickest I have ever putted on.’
The team event, including Paul and three others, had their singles scores amalgamated to produce their team score with the three best scores counting on each day. Unfortunately, they had to settle for a tenth place finish. Well done Paul!