Golf: Noons dominate 72-Hole Strokeplay Championships

The Isle of Man 72-Hole Strokeplay Championship provided four days of competitive golf over the last two weekends.

The opening two rounds were played at Comis Mount Murray on August 8 and Peel the following day, before the final two rounds at Ramsey last Saturday and Castletown on Sunday.

With the championship decided over 72 holes, players faced the challenge of producing four consistent rounds across four different courses.

In the men’s event, it was Rob Noon (Castletown) who emerged as the overall champion with an excellent total of 283, seven shots clear of James Arneil (Ramsey).

In the women’s section the championship was dominated by Emma Noon (Comis at Mount Murray), who produced an outstanding display of consistency to win the title with an overall score of 319.

Noon was also the leading player in each individual round, making her performance across the four days particularly impressive.

The championship got underway at Murray where Rob Noon took the first-round honours with a score of 70 in the men’s event.

Noon made an immediate statement of intent, carding the lowest score of the opening day. James Arneil was close behind with a 71, while Chris Kneen (Castletown), Stuart Wallace (Comis at Mount Murray) and Peter Glover (Douglas) all recorded 72s.

The first round set the tone for what would become a closely-contested championship, with several players within a few shots of the lead.

Best nett on the day was Wallace with 72-3 for 69, beating Arneil on countback.

Emma Noon was the day's winner in the women’s event with an excellent score of 80. She was followed by Lindsey Tickell (Douglas) on 85 and Laura Thorn (Rowany) on 89.

Noon therefore made the ideal start to her championship campaign, taking an early lead in the overall standings.

Not to be completely out done, sister-in law Hannah Noon recorded a hole-in-one on the par-three 14th. Everyone is waiting for the drinks...

The latter also recorded the best nett with 99-35 for 64.

The championship moved to Peel for the second round where Chris Kneen (Castletown) produced the outstanding score of the day with a superb 67.

Nathan Bate’s (Ramsey) 68 represented a spectacular improvement from his opening-round 79, his performance moved him rapidly up the leaderboard and into serious contention.

Arneil also enjoyed an excellent round, shooting 70, while Rob Noon followed his opening 70 with a solid 71.

Best nett on the day was Neil Campbell (Rowany) with an impressive 78-17 for 61.

At the halfway point, Kneen with 139 led by two shots from Rob Noon and Arneil on 141. Unfortunately, Kneen was unable to play the final weekend so his challenged ended prematurely.

Once again, Emma Noon topped the day's scores in the women’s event, improving to an impressive 78. Tickell recorded 91, while Thorn carded 98.

Emma’s second consecutive round win strengthened her position at the top of the championship leaderboard heading into the second weekend.

Best nett was again Hannah Noon with 108-35 for 73.

Nathan Bate continued his outstanding form when the championship resumed at Ramsey, once again shooting 68 to claim the day's lowest score.

Back-to-back rounds of 68 made Bate the standout performer over the middle stages of the championship.

Rob Noon was also in excellent form, recording a 69 to remain firmly in control of the overall championship.

Daryl Callister (Castletown) added a 72, while Paul McMullan (Peel) and Ian Kelly (Ramsey) both recorded 73s.

The third round proved crucial, with Rob Noon opening an advantage over Arneil who had a disappointing 76 on his home course, while Bate's exceptional scoring kept the pressure on.

Best nett on the day was John Quayle with 81-14 for 68, beating Bate on countback.

In the women’s championship, Emma Noon produced her best round of the championship, scoring 77 to take another daily victory. Tickell finished the round on 95 and Thorn on 93.

Noon’s 77 was the lowest score recorded in the third round and further extended her advantage going into the final day.

Best nett was recorded by Emma Noon with 77-2 for a 75.

The final round at Castletown saw Neil Caine (Comis at Mount Murray) claim the day's honours with a 71.

He produced an excellent closing round to finish fifth overall on 296 and his 71 was the only sub-par round on the final day.

Rob Noon closed out his championship with a composed 73 which was enough to secure the title by seven shots from Arneil, who also finished with a 73.

Bate carded a 78 in the final round but had already done enough to secure third place overall.

The best nett on the day was Caine with 71-2 for 69. The overall nett winner was Arneil with a nett 284, beating Geoff Skillicorn (King Edward Bay) into second place who had 288 and edged past Danny Foulis on countback.

Emma Noon again recorded the lowest score, finishing with an 84 in the final round of the women’s championship.

Her four-round scores of 80, 78, 77 and 84 gave her a championship-winning total of 319.

The best nett of the day was Heather Skinner (Rowany) with 100–23 for 77, while the overall nett winner was Hannah Noon with 296, beating her sister-in-law Emma by eight shots.

Championship results: Men's 1, Rob Noon: 283 (70, 71, 69 and 73); 2, James Arneil 290 (71, 70, 76 and 73); 3, Nathan Bate 293 (79, 68, 68 and 78).

Women's 1, Emma Noon 319 (80, 78, 77, 84); 2, Lindsey Tickell 363 (85, 91, 95, 92; 3, Laura Thorn 385 (89, 98, 93 and 105).

ANDY NICHOLSON