SUNDAY'S FINISH TAKES SHINE OFF A SUCCESSFUL WEEK OFF THE COURSE

In a position to challenge for a podium finish after the first two rounds, Majesticks collectively slipped as a team on a day when all four scores mattered.

Co-Captain Ian Poulter was the sole bright spot with a 1-under par round that included three birdies as he got off the gates, including one on the par-3 9th hole in front of hundreds of raucous fans who filled up Majesticks Arms, and then another particularly crowd-pleasing one on the 14th ‘Party’ hole.

“This was a week we wanted our fans to come out and have a good time and for the Majesticks franchise to showcase the many good things we have been doing. I think we were able to do all that, but it would have felt a lot better if we could also put up a good show inside the ropes,” a disappointed Poulter said after the round.

LIV Golf UK was the ‘home’ tournament for Majesticks. Co-Captain Lee Westwood grew up in Worksop, about 100 kilometers from the golf course, and Sam Horsfield now lives in the area and is a member of the JCB Golf & Country Club. No wonder, a majority of the 15,000 full-house crowd that descended on the venue each day were Majesticks fans.

Outside the ropes, it was a massive success. It all started with the mega announcement that Majesticks GC’s impact programme ‘Little Sticks’ joined hands with Complete PE to make golf a part of Physical Education curriculum in schools. From a pilot programme that involved five schools in the first year, the Little Sticks will now be rolled out to over 200 schools and impact over 40,000 children in the coming year. All equipment and training of the teachers will be funded by Majesticks GC.

“It’s great that our programme is being so well received by the schools we’re working with and that there’s a big demand for Little Sticks across the country going into the next academic year,” said Westwood.

The 200-seater Majesticks Arms, which made a noisy backdrop to the 9th tee and was jam-packed every hour of the three days, led to over 6,000 people registering as Majesticks GC fans.

Horsfield delighted the local fans with a 4-under 67 in the opening round. After opening with a bogey on the 16th hole, the young Englishman made six birdies and was placed tied 6th. A 1-under par on Saturday still kept him within striking distance of a podium finish, but a stretch of four holes – where he went bogey-bogey-bogey-double – from the 15th hole onwards denied him that chance and he finished tied 34th.

Poulter, who started the day with a birdie blitz of three in his first three holes, lost the momentum with a double on the par-5 13th. He was the best-placed Majesticks star at tied 27th place.

The good news for Poulter fans was that his putter was hot throughout the week and he topped the stat category with just 80 putts needed for the three rounds.

Co-Captain Henrik Stenson battled to opening rounds of 70 and 69, but matched Horsfield’s 76 on Sunday.

STAT REVIEW

Field ranking in parentheses

Fairways Hit

Poulter – 26 (T29)

Horsfield – 28 (T15)

Stenson – 30 (T6)

Westwood – 23 (T45)

Driving Distance Avg.

Poulter – 279.4 (T39)

Horsfield – 277.1 (44)

Stenson – 269.9 (52)

Westwood – 291.0 (22)

Greens in Regulation

Poulter – 33 (T44)

Horsfield – 37 (T19)

Stenson – 37 (T19)

Westwood – 34 (T37)

Total Putts

Poulter – 80 (T1)

Horsfield – 90 (T45)

Stenson – 90 (T45)

Westwood – 88 (T35)

Total Birdies

Poulter – 13 (T19)

Horsfield – 13 (T19)

Stenson – 13 (T19)

Westwood – 8 (T42)