Cornwall Golf Union
MacGregor & Cornwall Sign Off in Style
The Cornwall Men's team concluded their 2024 Channel League campaign with a 10 - 5 win over Wiltshire at St Enodoc yesterday, the win cementing a satisfactory mid table position in the competition. Whilst the 2024 season was coming to an end so was the representative amateur career of Rob MacGregor after 25 years of wearing county colours. And MacGregor signed off in great style as he won both his matches at a damp St Enodoc.
Report to follow from County Captain Peter Simmons but in the meantime some pictures of Rob 'Boc' MacGregor in action yesterday.
Cornwall Team: Tom Stephens (Trevose), Matt Richards (West Cornwall), Rob MacGregor (Tehidy Park), James Ruddick (Perranporth), Jamie Greet (Mullion), Sam Crocker (Carlyon Bay), Jared Mortimore (Truro), Kieran Faulkner (Looe), Kyle Fraser Mullion) and Louis Archer (St Enodoc).
Having started this journey as vice-captain to Charlie Phillips in 2019, my last match in charge of the Cornwall Men’s team would now end at St Enodoc Golf Club on Sunday 22nd September 2024. Our opponents for this final encounter would be Wiltshire led by long time golfing friend and opponent Ali James!
The final Channel League match of the season would also be a special one for Rob Macgregor who would be making his final appearance for Cornwall as an amateur golfer before he turns professional in October.
Rob first represented the county when he was 15 years old and played against the Navy where he beat one Cornwall’s grittiest golfers, Malcom Edmunds on his Cornwall debut. Since that debut Rob has become one of the grittiest golfers to grace the fairways of the south west, he never gives up and has a golf game that can compete with the finest amateur players in the south west and probably the entire country.
Sadly, for the Cornwall Men’s Team today would mark his final match for the county and bring the curtain down on a distinguished playing career playing in black & gold. It has not always been a smooth ride for Rob but he has come through and should definitely be regarded as one all Cornwall’s all-time greats. No one works harder than ‘BOC’ (Beast of Cornwall), as he is affectionately known, who I know spends endless hours fine tuning his game. But not only is he a fine golfer he is also one of the nicest people you could ever meet. Not always on the same wavelength but always funny, kind and considerate with a ton of unusual stuff thrown in - Never a dull moment with Rob! BOC will be greatly missed by the county but we are all proud of his achievements as he should be himself.
On to the match…
Arriving at St Enodoc early, the heavens had already opened with heavy rain and a weather forecast that had forgotten the occasion! Thankfully the weather did ease, and the match would go ahead as planned.
In the foursomes Matt Richards & Tom Stephens would lead Cornwall out and after five holes found themselves one down to Wiltshire’s Lewy Hayward & Harry Dickins but unfortunately for Wiltshire Lewy became very ill on the course with suspected food poisoning and after a ‘time out’ break was sadly unable to continue and a walkover was awarded to Matt & Tom. Not the result either team wanted especially Lewy but Matt & Tom enjoyed watching Harry Hall play in the PGA Championship at Wentworth in the dry of the clubhouse!
In match two, Rob Macgregor would team up with Perranporth’s James Ruddick, with both players playing great golf, The pair were under par when they won their match 5&3 on the 15th hole.
In match three, County Champion Jamie Greet teamed up with Sam Crocker - this pair had a great win in Devon two weeks earlier and would also triumph today with a very close 1up win over Ali James & Nick Korynevsky. (3-0 Cornwall)
Match four featuring Kieran Faulkner & Jared Mortimore would not go Cornwall’s way and with the putts not dropping Wiltshire would win this match on the 17th hole 2&1.
The final foursomes featured St Enodoc player Louis Archer and one of Cornwall’s rising talents Kyle Fraser (Mullion). The Cornwall pairing played excellent golf and would just edge their opponents by a 2&1 margin. Score line at lunch Cornwall 4 Wiltshire 1.
After a wonderful carvery in the clubhouse the singles would commence and naturally there was only one player who would lead Cornwall out for one last time. The Cornwall and Wiltshire teams formed a guard of honour and applauded Rob on to the first tee which was a lovely touch and fitting tribute. His opponent appropriately would be the captain of Wiltshire, Ali James.
Rob would play sub-par golf against Ali and as usual did not give an inch closing out his singles match on the 14th hole 5&4. You will be greatly missed BOC!
In the matches behind it was a much closer affair with Matt Richards down for most of his match before playing brilliant golf on the back nine holes to come through and win 1 up against Garry Slade on the 18th hole. Matt has produced some fantastic golf this season and earlier in the week had been part of the South West team that thrashed the Midlands at Cumberwell Park. Very well played Matt.
In match three Sam Crocker would eventually succumb to Nick Korynevsky on the last hole losing 1 down, whilst in match four Tom Stephens was having a ding dong battle with Dom Seaman and after a birdie two from Tom on the 17th to draw level the match would be tied on the 18th hole.
James Ruddick was producing some of his best golf of the season and would beat Freddie Titcombe 2&1 and with Louis Archer closing out his match over Harry Dickens on the 18th hole the match result was now safe. Wiltshire would narrow the deficit winning matches eight and nine where Kieran Faulkner lost 2&1 and Jamie Greet 3&2. Jared Mortimore would add half point to Cornwall’s total halving with Jon Haines on the 18th hole.
The final match result - Cornwall 10, Wiltshire 5.
My thanks go to all the team for their commitment and efforts this season and more importantly to the entire Cornwall squad who have supported me during my captaincy.
During my tenure as captain there has been a mix of highs and lows as well as the if’s, but’s and maybe’s which of course are all associated with the game of golf!
Golfers will never stop talking about how lucky their opponent was, or how the greens were to blame or how that tree should not have been there during the post-match banter! All I would say is that when a player loses it is generally because they have been outplayed, or more likely out putted – the top players do not have excuses they make things happen… Keep putting the hours in, keep grinding and the results will follow.
I will unofficially sign off at the annual county dinner in November, in the meantime I would like to thank my vice-captain Adam Bridgewater for his support and wish him and the team all the best for the two years he is at the helm. There is a great team atmosphere currently and I am confident that Cornwall will continue to compete well against all the other counties in the South West and I will be supporting from the sidelines.
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