STAMINA and patience and an ample helping of local knowledge, became priceless assets when the Audi sponsored Chris de Burgh Classic took place in wretched conditions at The K Club yesterday. The winning team of David Adamson, his son Warren, Mick Holly and Bill Cullen all K Club members compiled a splendid score of 84 points.
Padraig Harrington took the professional prize with an admirably solid 72 that contained birdies at the second and sixth to offset bogeys at the fourth and fifth. The Stackstown player then completed the round with a run of 12 successive pars.
The course, once notorious for drainage problems, stood up superbly to a sustained onslaught from the elements. Indeed, the greens remained in such fine condition throughout the day that play would have been possible at the highest, European Tour level.
It was a particularly memorable occasion for Holly, last year's captain of the host club. He had a hole in one at the 197 yard fifth where a five wood, into the wind, found the target.
And the popular Kerryman, who was on the card 12 times, went on to score a net eagle at the long 13th.
Other notable scoring came from Ronan Collins, Gerry McGuinness, Fran O'Brien and Leonard Owens, all of whom had gross birdies at the 16th, rated the most difficult hole on the course.
