ANDREW'S TANKARD TRIUMPH

With the weather showing a belated improvement and the course having dried out considerably as a result, things at County Armagh Golf Club are beginning to look and feel a bit more like one might usually expect for this time of year.

And in the PGA Tankard on Saturday 12 May, Andrew Hayward took full advantage of these more manageable conditions to expertly lead home a field of more than 160 hopefuls.

Hayward was anything but wayward as he kept it very much on the straight and narrow during a front nine that contained a birdie at the second-hardest hole and just 38 strokes. Playing off 15, that gave Andrew a very healthy halfway status and meant that mere solidity coming home should be enough to shoot a decent number; and so it proved.

A double bogey at the 16th was a minor setback that could've led to an irreversible loss of momentum — it's happened to many of us — but Hayward responded in some style, registering two closing pars to crown a terrific 40-point victory in the competition sponsored by Armagh Potato Company Ltd.

PGA Tankard winner, Paul Hayward, receives his prize from County Armagh Golf Club Captain, Colm Shannon. Also pictured are Charlie Johnston from Armagh Potato Company Ltd, competition sponsor, and other prizewinners (L-R): Paul Kelly, Shea Smyth and Eamon Connolly.