Jim Speirs Triam - Report

The Jim Speirs Memorial Tri Am 2022

The first shots of the day were struck at 7.50 am by the group containing Darren McCutcheon, Andrew King, and Steven Barr. At that time the weather was ominous and grey. The trio eventually recorded a very creditable forty-eight points. The scoring and the weather would improve as the day progressed. Ultimately the winning score would exceed this first group's total, but not by very much.

The seventh group starting at 8.48, made up of Alex Walker, Gary Anderson and Graeme Neil would surpass the initial leaders by two points. Then the 9.20 starters, consisting of Mark Robertson, Michael Lynn, and Kenny McQuade, would go one point better. This would see the team eventually take third place overall. The group setting off at 10.00 featuring current Annanhill Captain Scott Goldie would match the leading total and take fourth place on count back. As the sun made its midday appearance, matters began to heat up.

At 10.24 the group consisting of Nicky Gemmel, Neil Williams, and Billy Armitage had arrived at the first tee. By the time this team reached the turn, they would have recorded 26 points. Around an hour later the trio of Davie Irvine, Ralph Malone, and Stuart Ferrans set out. They too would make the turn with twenty-six points. Up ahead Nicky, Neil, and Billy were busy recording four birdies in a row between holes eleven and fourteen and followed this with a four-pointer on fifteen. By the same stage Irvine, Malone, and Ferrans were two points off the pace.

Almost appropriately the turn of the tide was to occur on Speirs Gap, Annanhill’s sixteenth. Gemmel, Williams, and Armitage could only record net par and would follow this with another net par on the seventeenth. They would go on to make a four-point eagle on the last and reach a total of 52 points. Meanwhile, Davie, Ralph, and Stuart were able to record birdies on sixteen and seventeen. They would go on to conjure a net eagle on eighteen matching the score set by their close rivals for the day. Tied at fifty-two points each, it was the later starting group who took the win on count back over the last three holes by ten points to eight.

A range of individual prizes was donated for the tournament. Some of these included the classic nearest the hole at the par 3 fourth, sponsored by Crosshouse GC, taken by Billy Armitage. At the eighth Reid Brown shot his second to 79 inches. Ian Robertson landed his tee shot at the 13th a mere 28 inches from the pin and at the Speirs Gap hole, where the prize was sponsored by the Speirs family, Gary Anderson ended up only 30 inches from the hole with his second shot.

It is an understatement to say that the day was a success. The few complaints among the one hundred and nineteen starters were concerned with their own individual shortcomings. There were winners aplenty, the most worthy of these being the Ayrshire Hospice who benefitted to the tune of £1,000 (one thousand pounds, for those old enough to remember the BBC Grandstand teleprinter).

A fitting way to honor the continuing memory of Jim Speirs, Wee Man, Thirteen-time Club Champion, and Annanhill Captain 1997.