By Paul Gallagher
Jack Bailie rolled back the years to land the season-ending Annual at Home at Mourne Golf Club, where his winning score of 44 points in breezy conditions was five clear of his nearest challenger.
Bailie’s handicap may have ballooned in recent years, but last Sunday he tapped into that old single-handicap magic to land one of the biggest competitions of the year. As Jack himself might have said: “even a blind squirrel finds a nut.”
The day’s big winner was the model of consistency, playing par and bogey golf for most of the round on the Championship Links, with a run of nine straight pars from the seventh hole proving key to his success. Closer inspection of Bailie’s card shows his score might have been even better, as he failed to pick up any points on the 18th. It mattered little, for he had squirreled away enough points at that stage to seal the commanding win.
Neal Toner, one of Mourne’s most improved players this season, headed up the chasing pack to take outright second with 39 points. The tall figure picked up a rare birdie at the ninth before adding another at the 11th, two of the highlights in his round. Gareth Scannell was third on 38 points, with Jack Keenan and John Murphy fourth and fifth respectively on 37 points.
The McManus Trophy went to Mark Feenan, who had the best gross with his one-over 72. Feenan’s round contained two back-nine birdies at 12 and 16, with dropped shots at one, four, and 17.
Over on the Annesley Links, the Veteran’s Prize was won by Noel Murray, where eight of the club’s stalwarts took to the course.
A total of 140 played in the Annual at Home before the dinner by Trevor and Denis Orr, and the season’s main prize-giving event, where the trophies and shields were awarded. The Annual at Home is a unique competition where members put up prizes on the day, and Bailie enjoyed first pick, coming away with a top-of-the-range PowaCaddy push cart.
Elsewhere, the main award of the evening was the Golfer of the Year, and the 2025 recipient of The Sawey Rosebowl, sponsored by Patrick Coyle, went to Darryl Northrop after an exceptional year. Northrop was pushed all the way by several members during the season — none more so than Stephen Burns, who pulled off a rare feat in 2025 by winning Captain’s Day and President’s Day in the same season.
