Damien Mooney and Chris Carvill shine at Knock in PING UGA Alliance event

Belfast’s Knock GC

Chris Carvill and Damian Mooney produced a flurry of birdies at Knock GC in the Ping PGA Ulster Golfers’ Alliance event with the pair finishing the day top of the leaderboard on five-under-par 65.
Belvoir Park’s Carvill spread six birdies over his card but also pencilled in an eagle while Nevada Bob’s Mooney made seven birdies. He had just two bogeys while Carvill had three.
Both players teed off at the par five 10th hole and Carvill opened with an eagle rolling in a 20-footer, after a drive and sand iron to the green.
He then holed out from a bunker for birdie two at 12 and wedged to three feet for another two at 16. A perfect pitch to two feet gave Chris another birdie at the par four 17 as he turned in five-under 30.
A pitching wedge to seven feet set up anther birdie three on the first green but he overshot the second green which resulted in a dropped shot.
He three-putted the fourth to drop another shot and his third dropped shot of the round came at the sixth, where his approach was short.
However, he steadied up to make birdie threes at seven and nine from seven and eight feet to post the early lead 65.
Mooney opened at the 10th with birdie four but gave back the advantage when he found sand at the 11th, resulting in a bogey five.
At 12, he narrowly missed an ace when his sand wedge tee-shot settled a mere six inches from the cup but, again, he stumbled when bunker trouble cost him another bogey at the par three 16th.
That was the end of Damian’s woes. His three wood approach to 17 landed eight feet from the flag and he holed the birdie putt. He then slotted in a 25-footer for birdie at 18 to turn in two-under-32.
There were no further blots on his card as he made birdie threes at the first, second and seventh holes, driving to the edge of the first green, rifling a sand wedge to one foot at the second and, again, driving to the edge of the seventh surface.
Ballyclare eight-handicapper Conor Moore won the amateur’s top nett prize on 44 points while Ben Graham (3, Shandon Pk) took the gross award with a 71.
Groomsport pro Gareth Graham led home the winning team on 91 points.

PING PGA Ulster Golfers’ Alliance Tournament at Knock – full scoreboard

Selected scores
Professionals: 65 (-5) – C Carvill (Belvoir Pk), D Mooney (Nevada Bobs Belfast).
68 – S Thornton (Unattached).
70 – P Farrell (Laganview).
71 – G Graham (Groomsport Golf Centre).
72 – C Loughrey (Castlerock), P Vaughan (Ardglass), M Alexander (Royal Portrush), C Lyttle (Ballyclare), V Teague (Loughgall).
Amateurs: Nett, 44 pts – C Moore 8 (Ballyclare).
41 – P McCluskey 16 (Spa) … 2nd;
41 – S Doldthorte 18 (Blackwood) … 3rd;
41 – S Cameron 16 (Royal Portrush) … 4th;
39 – R Wallace 12 (Edenmore).
Team: 91 pts – Pro G Graham (Groomsport Golf Centre) with G Smyth 9 (Kirkistown Castle), S Doldthorte 18 (Blackwood) & C Conlon 18 (Kirkistown Castle).

With thanks to Tony McGee

Tags: Belvoir Park, Chris Carvill, Damien Mooney, Gareth Graham, Groomsport, Knock, Nevada Bobs NI