Close House’s Maggie Whitehead and Kendal’s Joey Hornby crowned Northern Golfer Champions of Champions
Maggie Whitehead and Joey Hornby joined the elite list of Champions of Champions with their respective victories in the ladies and junior events at George Washington.
A member of Close House and Ramside, Maggie stormed to victory in the ladies’ event with a six under-par round of 68 for an 11-shot margin of victory. The England girls’ international set a new course record en-route to victory as Houghton-le-Spring’s Emily Baxter finished in second place and Gosforth Park Ladies’ Coralie Bretez (Watson) completed the top three.
“It’s very special to be the Champion of Champions,” said 15-year-old Maggie.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing at George Washington and knew the course set up well for me. To go out there and shoot my lowest ever round, finishing with four birdies in the final four holes, made it even more special.
“I’m over the moon to have my name on the trophy. Things went well from the very start of the round – holing out from the greenside bunker on the first for an eagle. The par fives helped me build a score early on and from there I played steadily before making four good putts to finish off the round.
“I’ve got GCSE exams coming up, so this is a great way to go into those. Once they’re done, I’m hoping to play lots of tournaments this summer across the UK and overseas with England if I’m selected.”
In the junior event, Kendal-based Joey made the trip from Cumbria to Durham worthwhile as he led the field with a one under-par round of 72 at George Washington.
Joey, who is part of the England regional squad, said: “It’s an amazing feeling to be the Champion of Champions.
“I played my practice round at the last minute, but I had a good feeling about the venue and knew it was in great condition for the tournament. I made a shaky bogey at the second but then found a rhythm, took advantage of a couple of the par fives and built a consistent round from there. I holed out well all day, which was important all the way through and kept things going.
“Winning this event is a great way to start the year. I’ve been working hard and practising smarter, and it’s great to see that’s paying off.”
Meanwhile, South Moor’s Cameron Gilray finished second in the junior event as Ripon City’s William Hixon finished third.
George Washington’s Bill Michie said: “Congratulations to Maggie and Joey on becoming the Champions of Champions. We were very proud to host the events and hear such positive feedback from some of the most talented players in our region. Hopefully we’ll see them and more of the players back here at George Washington and going on to win more tournaments in the future.”
Northern Golfer editor Dean Bailey added: “Having delayed our 2021 events, we couldn’t have asked for a better way to open the 2022 season. Our thanks go to everyone who helped make the return of the three Champion of Champions event such a success – the teams at Longhirst Hall and George Washington, our partners Brewin Dolphin, Dan Hase from Northern Ball Markers for supplying this year’s prizes, and all the players who took part – we look forward to working with you all in the future and seeing lots of the players at the next Champions of Champions events.”
Maggie and Joey join Alnmouth’s Joseph Henderson, who was victorious in the men’s event at Longhirst Hall, as our new Champions of Champions following a delay to the 2021 events due to Covid.
The 2022 Champions of Champions events will take place in October and more details will be published this summer and distributed to clubs across the region.
