HAMPSHIRE’S Alan Mew became the second consecutive English winner of the Irish Seniors’ Open when he completed a wire-to-wire success at Belvoir Park.
The 66-year-old from Southampton’s Stoneham Golf Club was three-under for the 54-hole event to take the crown claimed by Lancashire’s Trevor Foster – a member at Accrington Golf Club – 12 months ago.
An opening round of six-under 65 put Mew in pole position from day one, with a three-shot lead over Wales’ Nigel Evans and Ireland’s Alan Egan.
Although he posted 73 in round two, Mew remained clear of Evans while Egan dropped out of contention.
On the final day, Mew – who won the England Mid-Amateur Championship three times between 1989 and 1992, enjoyed a relatively comfortable closing round of 72 to win with three shots to spare.
Three clear setting out, the former European Seniors Tour player lead had increased to five by the turn. His closest challenger, Evans, got within three again when Mew bogeyed the 13th, but the leader eased any nerves with a birdie at the next hole
Evans finished as runner-up. Foster, the reigning British Senior Champion, tied for third on three-over alongside Rochester & Cobham’s Bob Florence and leading Irish challenger Wilson – a member at Reading’s Calcot Park.
Mew, an England senior international, has history with this championship. In 2014, he was runner-up when Portmarnock’s Adrian Morrow triumphed at Waterville and went on to be second in the Scottish Seniors that season, earning his call-up to the England team for the Home Internationals for the over 55s.
