Griggs one shot behind ’95 Ryder Cup hero
DANIEL GRIGGS fell short yesterday in his quest to qualify for this week’s British Senior Open.
However, the recently-crowned Royal Guernsey club champion carded a respectable eight-over-par 78 at Hindhead Golf Club to finish in the top half of a high-class field of 107 golfers including a Ryder Cup hero, several European Tour tournament winners and even a former Manchester United star.
Playing alongside professionals in Northern Ireland’s Alistair Cardwell and England’s Max Newman, Griggs made a solid start with four pars and just one bogey in his first five holes before he carded his only double of the round at the par-three sixth.
He reached the turn in four-over-par 39, having dropped a shot at the eighth, and took the same number of shots coming back with a birdie at the par-four 11th, three pars and five more bogeys.
Just one shot ahead of Griggs was Irish star Philip Walton, who famously holed Europe’s winning putt at the 1995 Ryder Cup at Oak Hill, while the Guernsey player beat former Manchester United and Wales international footballer Clayton Blackmore by eight shots.
Only three players returned under-par scores on the day, the best being a 65 from New Zealander Michael Long, who carded seven birdies.
The 1985 Tunisian Open winner Stephen Bennett had been the long-time leader after posting an early 68 and he was closely followed one shot back by amateur Martin Young, who has been a regular visitor to the Channel Islands with the Hampshire county team.
