Le Huray’s birthday comes early as he lands first title

When he looks back in years to come, Tom Le Huray’s birdie putt at the last will no doubt grow a couple of feet every time he tells the story.

In reality, it was the best part of 40ft and although his good mate and three-time former champion Danny Blondel still had a putt of around a quarter of that distance for a half to take the match to extra holes, it was always going to be a shot worthy of winning the ‘big one’.

Le Huray’s massive fist pump as the ball nestled against the flag before dropping into the cup signalled just how big a moment it was for him – the cheer from the family and friends of the popular Royal Guernsey man, who turns 30 today, emphasised just how delighted others were for him, too.

Even Blondel, for whom this was a first Island Championship match defeat at L’Ancresse since 2016, did not begrudge his Island teammate this one.

The odds on Le Huray taking the match as far as the 18th looked pretty long when he walked directly from the gorse bushes at the right of the fourth fairway to the fifth tee having conceded the hole to go 3 down to a man playing in his fourth consecutive final.

But he and caddie Sean Mills wisely used that lengthy stroll to evoke memories of his brilliant comeback win over Jason Stokes in the Inter-Insular last year to inspire another remarkable turnaround.

His golf went up several gears after that, culminating in playing the final six holes in three-under-par to seal the title.

While Le Huray was claiming his first Guernsey title, Veronica Bougourd was adding an 18th women’s crown to her extraordinary collection.

She, too, had to work very hard for it as there was never more than one hole separating her and Mandy Webber, making it almost inevitable that extra holes would be required to settle the outcome.

Webber actually holed a 25ft birdie putt on the last down the same line as Le Huray had drained his a little while earlier to extend the match, but it was Bougourd who came up trumps on the 19th.

After coming up a few yards short of the green with her second, she played an exquisite chip-and-run right up to hole side for a guaranteed par that Webber, who had had an awkward lie for her second, was unable to match.

In the Women’s Division Two final, Julie Creed was a 4 & 2 winner over Clare Tee while Jennie Ballay won the clash of the juniors with Chloe Domaille 4 & 3 in the Division Three category.

Meanwhile, Ollie Chedhomme retained the Island Junior Boys’ title with a narrow 1 up victory over Rory McKenna.

There was never more than a hole between the two Hampshire U16s players and having come off the 12th all-square, they halved the next four holes all in pars.

But Chedhomme made a decisive birdie on the 17th, holing a putt from around 18ft, that edged him ahead and once both had found the putting surface off the 18th tee, McKenna knew he had to make birdie to prolong the match but his putt slipped by the hole.

• More in Monday's Guernsey Press.