Boys Champion 2023 – Harry Cox of Welwyn Garden City

August 1, 2023

Boys Champion 2023 – Harry Cox of Welwyn Garden City

HARRY COX OF WELWYN GARDEN CITY – BOYS CHAMPION & MALCOLM REID TROPHY WINNER 2023

Our annual County Boys (under 18’s) Championship event was played on Monday 31 July at The Hertfordshire G&CC located just on the outskirts of Hoddesdon, since 2006. 37 competitors took part on the day with handicaps ranging from +2 to 11.

The weather in the run up to the event was extremely changeable, with a fair amount of rainfall and blustery winds, and much the same was experienced on the day, with some sharp showers and a fair wind making life awkward for the players, particularly on those holes with various water hazards/penalty areas.

The course was very well prepared and presented on the day by the green staff and many of the competitors commented on the day how enjoyable the course was to play.

After the morning round the somewhat surprise leader was 15 year old 3 handicapper Henry Dowsett of Bishop’s Stortford with an excellent round of 67 (-3), his best ever score he proudly proclaimed when the scorecard was submitted! Henry would lead by 3 shots from nearest challengers, returning Champion Harry Cox of Welwyn Garden City and Noah Peters of West Herts, both on 70 level par. The leaderboard was bunched with a further seven players within another 2 shots on 72 +2 or better.

Harry Cox showed his class in the afternoon round and returned a 68 -2 for a total of 138 -2 for the day, good enough to reclaim his title by 2 shots from Noah Peters who returned another level par round of 70 for 140 total. In 3rd, home member of the host club, Daniel Colkett returned an equal best of the day 67 -3 in the afternoon to pip Ben Sessions of Bishop’s Stortford into 3rd and a podium finish. Ben did have the consolation of the runner up position in the Malcolm Reid Trophy Under 16’s competition, won once again by Harry Cox as he did last year at East Herts. Henry Dowsett returned an afternoon 75 +5 for a score of 142 +2 for the day and good enough for overall 5th.

Harry proceeded to the England Golf Boys Champion of Champions event at Woodhall Spa in September, where he also represented Hertfordshire in the Men’s Champion of Champions event, after his stunning win at Moor Park in June!

Welwyn Garden City claimed the Boys Team Champions flag, when Harry Cox’s team, backed up by Patrick Donovan and Louie Bloxham, returned a best 2 from 3 scores per round aggregrate gross score of 281 +1, winning by the extremely narrow margin of 2 shots from West Herts, represented by Ronnie Gibb, Luca Ibekwem and Noah Peters.

Our thanks to The Hertfordshire G&CC for hosting and we look forward to the 2024 playing of the event which is provisionally and subject to confirmation to be held at Sandy Lodge GC next summer.