COOL, calm and collected down the stretch, Harrison Carlyon claimed his maiden Channel Island Championship with a two-up victory over Sarnian Tom Le Huray.
Played over 36 holes, spread across Saturday and Sunday, the Royal Jersey member made home-course advantage count, as challenging conditions provided a stern test for all involved.
Carlyon found himself three-down after the first 18 holes of play, but began the second day strong with an eagle three on the opening hole.
It was a statement of intent from the Jerseyman and as the weather worsened and the heavens opened, his game seemed to improve.
The finishing stretch at Royal Jersey is notoriously difficult and the changing conditions added to the challenge.
Carlyon was up to the occasion though, completing the last nine holes in one-under-par to close out victory on the 36th and final hole.
He said: ‘Being down after the opening day, I really wanted to come out and get a couple back in the opening few holes.
‘I managed to do just that, starting off with an eagle on the first, which was great.
‘That gave me a lot of confidence heading into the rest of the round.
‘The conditions got really quite bad towards the end, which makes it hard to keep control of the ball.
‘I just did my best to stay patient and draw on past experiences from the Jersey matchplay earlier this year.
‘I managed to limit mistakes and then made a crucial birdie on 16 to get the lead late on. From there, it was about being sensible and not throwing holes away.’
Carlyon did not have the most ideal preparation for the championship, having been up in Scotland with Jersey Cricket as they attempted to make the T20 World Cup next year in the United States and West Indies.
He returned from Edinburgh early, missing their final contest against Denmark, but the extra few days of practice paid dividends for the new champion.
‘I am really proud of myself,’ said Carlyon.
‘Only coming back from Scotland a few days ago, I wasn’t sure where my game would be at, but thankfully I kind of picked up where I left off before.
‘I felt really comfortable out there, which was great and it’s certainly my biggest achievement to date in golf.’
Elsewhere, there was no CI glory for Jersey’s youngest ever women’s champion.
Iman Hamid-Wilkinson was all square with Guernsey stalwart Veronica Bougourd after the opening day.
However, the Sarnian showed her experience in changing conditions to defeat the 16-year-old 3&2.
Despite the initial disappointment, Hamid-Wilkinson took plenty of positives from her first experience of a Channel Island final.
‘Veronica has been in this environment for a number of years,’ she said.
‘I was still confident heading into the event, but I was aware of the experience she has.
‘We both made some mistakes out there, which is expected in tough conditions.
‘I definitely did feel some pressure out there, but I loved the experience.
‘I will learn from this defeat and certainly take it forward to be better in future competitions.
‘I am still young and I know if I work hard then there will be more opportunities for me.’
Elsewhere in the junior match, Sarnian Jayden Tucknott has been making a name for himself across the water.
He has performed stoutly in the mainland across this season, as well as being included in the Hampshire junior set-up.
Tucknott played superbly across the weekend, taking a 14up lead into day two.
He would close out the match on the fourth hole of the second round against Royal Jersey’s Nathan Crake-Jones by a margin of 15&14.
However, for the Caesarean, who has been playing the sport for only a couple of years, winning the Jersey championship and reducing his handicap to eight, marks an impressive start to his golfing career.
Meanwhile, there was more Guernsey success in the senior match, between Royal Jersey’s Michael Le Feuvre and Guernsey’s Bobby Eggo.
The latter has been a part of Channel Island golf for many decades and is a former champion of the English open amateur stroke play championship.
Le Feuvre fought hard and led for much of the 18-hole contest, taking a 2up lead into the 14th hole.
However, Eggo would win the next three holes to lead for the first time in the match standing on the 17th tee.
The Caesarean fought back to claim the 17th, but Eggo’s par at the last proved enough to take the victory by the narrowest of margins.
The was some more success for Jersey in the both the ladies bronze and ladies division 2 matches.
Carol Allen defeated Sarnian Debbie Lapidus 2up in the bronze match, while Jersey’s Catharina Hollick won by the same margin in the division 2 match.
