A FineHalf
Whoever came up With the old joke about a golfer who was “alternately playing and kicking his ball” because he was “practicing for the mixed foursomes” had clearly never played in the Hoylake Open Scratch Mixed Foursomes. Since its inaugural playing in 1964,
the HOSMF for short (well, sort of) has become widely regarded as the foremost tournament of its kind in the UK. The event has welcomed many luminaries of the amateur game down the years and counts Gary Wolstenhome (six- time Walker Cup player and two-time winner of The Amateur Championship) and Elaine Ratcliffe (Curtis Cup), and Malcom Lewis (England Captain, Walker Cup, Low Amateur British Open) and Claire Waite (Curtis Cup) amongst its past winning pairs. Catriona Matthew played in the HOSMF several times and, before the Women’s British Open held at Hoylake in 2012, recalled fondly that she always enjoyed this “good social event”. Mixed foursomes golf might be unique in all of sport for the glorious
Right: The winners and runners-up with the
Captain and Captain of the Ladies
Below: The competitors take a break from battle
opportunity it gives men and women the chance to compete side-by-side, on a level playing field. There is, of course, mixed
doubles
tennis, but anybody who has watched a good friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) suffer an on-court existential crisis as he struggles to reconcile his chivalrous nature with his competitive instinct when it’s his turn to serve, will agree that it just is not the same. In the absence of a mixed foursomes format in the professional game, the HOSMF plays a crucial role in tending the flame of this valuable and rare competitive dynamic. Last year saw Royal Liverpool passing yet another golfing milestone with the
Catriona Matthew recalled fondly that she always enjoyed this “good social event”
50th anniversary of this enduring and important date in the Hoylake calendar. One hundred and twenty-eight started out on Saturday morning in the knock-out, with just four couples remaining on Monday morning. In the
semi-final, top seeds and winners in 2012, Hoylake member Claire Fry and Mark Duncalf (Formby) beat Emily Coleman (Trentham) and Josh Ashton (Southport & Ainsdale), before facing all-Hoylake pair, third seeds Emma Goddard and Martin Thomas. In the end, the holders’ experience told in a high quality final played in excellent spirit, in which Fry and Duncalf played par golf to grind out a 3&2 victory to retain the trophy – all of which was achieved in a mere 2 hours and 10 minutes for 16 holes! The other semi- finalists were Lisa and Gareth Jones from Worplesdon. Last year was hugely significant
for another reason, because Helen Heggarty and Neil McBurney stepped down as co-chairs of the Organising Committee after running the event together for 23 years. It is due to their great charm that the event is in such rude health. On behalf of the hundreds of golfers who have enjoyed the fruits of their hard work over the years, I offer them my sincere thanks and hope that their association with the event will go on for years to come. n
ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB 2 014 MAGAZINE
61
2013 brought the 50th hoylake open Scratch Mixed FourSoMeS aS Jon SharpleS, chairMan oF the organiSing coMMittee, reportS.
Century
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