Wood and O'Neill sign up for 'Ravenscroft'
A FORMER Ryder Cup player and the lowest handicapped golfer in the Channel Islands are now confirmed entries into the third staging of the Ravenscroft Guernsey Open Matchplay tournament, the richest event on the CI scene.
Gavin O'Neill, the current Island Games champion and course record holder at all four 18-hole Jersey courses, has snapped up a wild-card invitation to play for a second year in a row.
The +4 player reached the semi-finals at La Grande Mare last year where he was edged out by eventual champion Bobby Eggo in a classic encounter and he is desperate to do better this July, having loved the tournament.
Another wild-card entry has gone out to Norman Wood, the now retired former Royal Guernsey head club professional who beat Lee Trevino at the 1975 Ryder Cup at Laurel Valley in the United States.
With O'Neill and Wood on board, 11 of the 16 available spots are now taken with a 12th in the form of the island junior champion, soon to be filled, before the final qualifier at the La Grande Mare which carries three places. The island junior final will be played over 36 holes on 14 June and will be contested by Robbie Garner and Trystan Perkins.
Ravenscroft entrants to date: Bobby Eggo, Alex Guelpa (Jersey champion), Gavin O'Neill (Island Games champion), Danny Blondel, Steve Mahy, Jamie Blondel, Michael Durcan, Daniel Griggs, Jeremy Nicolle, Norman Wood, George Melhuish, Robbie Garner or Trystan Perkins.
More in today's Guernsey Press.
