Day 1 of the 2024 Member/Member Tournament began with a bitterly cold morning, but temperatures quickly warmed, and the sun shone brightly for the rest of the day. The competition kicked off with Round 1 in Betterball format, where Ian Grobler and Julian Smith took an early lead in the Marlin Flight, scoring 24 points. In the RTJ Flight, Paul Basson and Mark Bissix led the way with 25 points.

Round 2 followed in a Texas Scramble format, with Ian Grobler and Julian Smith maintaining their strong form in the Marlin Flight, scoring 25 points to give them a total of 49 points, 4 points clear of the competition. Meanwhile, in the RTJ Flight, Paul Ungaretti and Mark Savage surged ahead, scoring an impressive 26 points to tie with Paul Basson and Mark Bissix for the lead.

The final round of the day was the Foursomes format. After Round 3, Ian Grobler and Julian Smith found themselves tied for the lead in the Marlin Flight with Nigel Harman and Kevin Chattwell, both teams finishing the day with 63 points. In the RTJ Flight, Paul Ungaretti and Mark Savage pulled ahead, finishing Day 1 with 66 points, 5 points ahead of James Winterman and Daryl Cook.

With Day 1 complete, all eyes were on Day 2 to see who would rise to the top.

Day 2 of the 2024 Member/Member Tournament began with another bitterly cold morning, with temperatures hovering around 4 degrees Celsius. However, the competition heated up as the day progressed.

Round 4 (Greensomes format) saw Nigel Harman and Kevin Chattwell come in with 19 points to take the lead in the Marlin Flight, putting them at 82 points overall, just 1 point ahead of Ian Grobler and Julian Smith, as well as Nicolas Galperin and Barry Norris. In the RTJ Flight, Paul Ungaretti and Mark Savage maintained their lead, finishing with 83 points, 2 points ahead of James Winterman and Daryl Cook, and Paul Basson and Mark Bissix.

Round 5 (Aggregate format) brought even more excitement. In the Marlin Flight, Nicolas Galperin and Barry Norris finished as runners-up with 115 points, while Nigel Harman and Kevin Chattwell narrowly won the flight with 116 points. In the RTJ Flight, Paul Basson and Mark Bissix placed second with 115 points, but Paul Ungaretti and Mark Savage triumphed with 118 points, securing their spot at the top.

The day concluded with a dramatic Shoot Out on Hole 9 of The Mill, played in Greensomes format. All flight winners and runners-up teed off simultaneously. Paul Ungaretti and Mark Savage had a tough start, with both drives landing in the penalty area. Nicolas Galperin and Barry Norris had a better position, with Barry’s drive in the fairway and Nicolas’ shot just trickling into the bunker. Nigel Harman and Kevin Chattwell made the longest drive, with Kevin’s shot landing 142 yards from the flag, and Paul Basson and Mark Bissix split the difference, landing in the semi-rough and fairway respectively.

Paul Ungaretti’s team dropped from the penalty area, laying up with a hybrid just short of the green, while Mark Bissix impressively reached the front of the green, leaving a tough 30-foot putt. Nicolas Galperin, playing from the middle of the fairway, hit a beautiful approach shot that finished 10 feet from the hole, to the cheers of the crowd. Nigel Harman had a chance to match this but narrowly avoided the water hazard, leaving them with a tricky up and down for their third shot.

As the pressure mounted, Mark Savage’s long putt from off the green finished 20 feet away, while Paul Basson’s putt left them 10 feet for a par net birdie. Kevin Chattwell’s next shot ran long, leaving them with a tough putt to save par, but Nigel’s putt back missed, ending their challenge. Meanwhile, Barry’s 10 foot putt narrowly missed and Nicolas Galperin holed his 4 net 3 putt, leaving Paul Ungaretti’s team unable to match the score.

With the pressure on, Mark Bissix had a chance to force a playoff but it narrowly missed, sealing the victory for Nicolas Galperin and Barry Norris.

It was a thrilling conclusion to a fiercely competitive day, with Nicolas Galperin and Barry Norris emerging as the champions of the Shoot Out.

Rank List

Following today’s event Peter Harrison remains in the lead, 210.4 points ahead of Daryl Cook who moves up from third place into second. Neil Sharpe drops into third 273.35 points behind Peter.