Day Two at Millennium Golf Course will not be remembered kindly by Team Tiger.
Day Two at Millennium Golf Course will not be remembered kindly by Team Tiger.
What started as a tightly poised contest after the 2–2 stalemate at Pinhal quickly spiralled into a brutal day for the orange side, with the Spiders storming to a dominant 3–1 victory and several Tiger players visibly questioning their life choices by the closing holes.
There were collapses.
There were shanks.
There were emotional breakdowns.
And somewhere in the Algarve, Richard Ashby may still be considering selling his clubs.
MATCH 1
Greg Ticehurst & Glyn Broome def. Simon Harris & Barry Tucker — 1 up
This match had absolutely everything.
At one stage, Greg Ticehurst and Glyn Broome were cruising with a FIVE-hole lead and appeared to have complete control.
Then chaos struck.
Simon Harris and Barry Tucker somehow clawed their way back into the contest, dragging the match all the way to the final hole where it stood all square.
Momentum had fully swung.
The Tigers sensed a robbery.
The Spiders were wobbling.
Then Simon Harris missed not one… but TWO crucial putts on the final hole to hand the match back to the Spiders.
A devastating collapse.
Greg immediately described the moment as “something I’ll never let Simon forget,” and sources suggest he has already mentioned it at least 14 times since leaving the course.
A wasted comeback from the Tigers and a massive escape for the Spiders.
MATCH 2
Jason Sykes & Cath Levell def. Paul Ticehurst & Nick Gumm — 7&6
Absolute destruction.
Spider captain Jason Sykes and Cath Levell produced one of the performances of the entire trip, dismantling Tiger captain Paul Ticehurst and Nick Gumm in ruthless fashion.
Everything clicked for the Spider pairing.
Cath continued her sensational tour debut despite the previous evening’s aggressive red wine campaign, while Jason quietly controlled the match from start to finish with clinical golf throughout.
For the Tigers… it was ugly.
Nick Gumm simply never arrived mentally or physically. Wild drives, loose shots and visible suffering followed him around Millennium all afternoon as Paul Ticehurst was repeatedly left trying to fight a two-versus-one battle.
At one point, witnesses reported Paul staring silently into the distance after another wayward Nick tee shot, possibly reconsidering several long-term friendships.
A brutal result.
MATCH 3
Dave Cunningham & Mark Neighbour def. Richard Ashby & Richard Turner — 4&3
Another composed win for the Spiders.
Dave Cunningham and Mark Neighbour once again looked like one of the most balanced pairings on tour, quietly getting the job done with steady golf and very little drama.
Dave, in particular, was delighted to secure another victory and believed he’d also claimed another nearest-the-pin prize during the round.
Unfortunately, celebrations were cut short when he later realised he’d written his name on completely the wrong nearest-the-pin marker.
A deeply Dave Cunningham moment.
For the Tigers, the story was Richard Ashby.
After showing signs of golfing competence on Day One, Ashby developed a full case of the shanks during one of the worst rounds of his tour career. By the closing holes he was openly contemplating selling his clubs and heavily regretting the previous evening’s decisions.
To make matters worse, he repeatedly questioned Richard Turner mid-round on whether he had “ever actually played golf before.”
Not an ideal atmosphere.
MATCH 4
Jon Mackness & Richard Frayne def. Alan Obern & Sam Harris — 6&5
History was made.
After years of psychological torment, near misses and golfing trauma, Jon Mackness finally defeated Alan Obern for the very first time.
A monumental occasion.
Partnered with the ultra-steady Richard Frayne, the Tiger pairing dovetailed superbly all afternoon, combining calm golf with timely scoring to dominate the match.
Frayne was outstanding throughout and looked completely unfazed by the occasion, while Mackers finally exorcised years of Obie-related demons.
The celebrations at full time reportedly carried genuine emotion.
For the Spiders, Alan Obern spent much of the round trying to offer Sam Harris guidance and tactical support, while Sam attempted to make sense of receiving a staggering 53 shots in the individual competition.
Despite flashes of quality, the Spider pair never truly got going.
And for once… Obie had absolutely no comeback.
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS — DAY TWO
🥇 Richard Frayne — 36 pts (£80)
A superb round from Frayne, who backed up the team victory with the best individual score of the day.
Calm. Controlled. Efficient.
And now permanently attached to one of the biggest wins in Mackers history.
🥈 Sam Harris — 36 pts (£40)
Despite the team defeat, Sam somehow pieced together an outstanding individual score.
Proof that receiving approximately half a shot per hole can occasionally help.
🥉 Cath Levell — 34 pts (£35)
An incredible follow-up performance from Cath after the previous evening’s red wine endurance test.
A huge day for one of the breakout stars of the tour.
Other notable scores
- Alan Obern — 30 pts
- Greg Ticehurst — 30 pts
- Mark Neighbour — 29 pts
- Jason Sykes — 28 pts
- Paul Ticehurst — 27 pts
- Jon Mackness — 25 pts
- Barry Tucker — 25 pts
At the lower end of the leaderboard, Richard Ashby recorded 19 points during what can only be described as a full golfing emergency.
NEAREST THE PIN
🏌️ Jon Mackness
The perfect finishing touch to the biggest moment of his golfing life — finally defeating Obie and walking away with nearest the pin honours as well.
A day he’ll likely mention for the next decade.
DAY TWO SUMMARY
- Spiders dominate Millennium 3–1
- Simon Harris misses TWO putts after the Tigers complete a five-hole comeback
- Nick Gumm delivers one of the all-time disappearing acts
- Ashby develops the shanks and considers retirement
- Dave Cunningham claims an NTP… on the wrong marker
- Mackers FINALLY defeats Obie
- Cath Levell continues to impress despite severe red wine exposure
And with Laguna looming…
the tension is only getting bigger.