Richie Barry (left) receives his prize from Monte da Quinta general manager Daniel GamaRichie Barry ensured Westport Golf Club continued its recent good run at the Race to Portugal by claiming a dramatic victory in the individual event of this year’s grand final at the Algarve’s Monte da Quinta resort.
 
Twelve months after Westport members Liam Friel and Thomas Walsh had won the pairs title and Friel the individual crown, Barry took top spot after surging through the pack on the second day of the 36-hole competition – held on Quinta do Lago’s prestigious South Course.
 
Trailing leader Nick Haigh by four points going into the final round, the 18-handicapper made light of tricky conditions to score 37 Stableford points and finish with a tally of 72, one ahead of Haigh and his fellow Old Thorns member Antony Chicheportiche, and two clear of Ealing’s Marcus Vining.
 
Barry said: “It’s a great honour to win the Race to Portugal individual title and retain it for Westport.
 
“Going into the second day four points behind, I felt I needed a bit of luck. After having a birdie on the first it gave me the start I needed and allowed me focus on playing the course.
 
“The Race to Portugal is an excellent competition and extremely well organised. The golf course itself was a super challenge, especially off the white tees, while everyone at Monte da Quinta did all they could to ensure our stay was a memorable one.”
 
There was consolation for Haigh and Chicheportiche as they claimed victory in the pairs competition – played off three-quarter handicaps from – with an impressive total of 131 points, 17 ahead of Barry and other Westport representative Kieran McGloin.
 
Golfers from around the UK, Ireland, Sweden and Belgium qualified from competitions at their home clubs which won them a place in the grand final as part of a week-long holiday in the spectacular Monte da Quinta resort.
 
As well as having access to some of the finest golf courses in Portugal, competitors also enjoyed the resort’s hospitality at a welcome reception, gala dinner and prizegiving and could take advantage of the first-class spa and leisure facilities.
 
Monte da Quinta is one of the newest accommodation options in the Algarve and includes one, two and three-bedroom layouts, with each providing a tranquil, spacious environment for guests to enjoy during their stay.
 
For further information on Monte da Quinta, or to book a stay call 00 351 289 000 300, email mqreservas@mqclub.com or go to www.mqresort.com.

Results:
 
Pairs competition, Stableford points: 1, Nick Haigh & Antony Chicheportiche (Old Thorns 131; 2, Richie Barry & Kieran McGloin (Westport) 114; 3, Vincent Bromey & Julie Herman (L’Empereur) 111; 4, James Lay & Orla Sweeney (Foxhills) 108; =5, Trevor Gregory & Marion Collins (Chobham), Tom Donaldson & Michael Ward (Mill Ride), Trevor Freeman & Peter Franklin (Stoke Park)102; 8, Peter Hurwood & John Howells (Windlesham) 98; 9, Jim McFadyen & Chris Cook (Wildwood) 96; 10, Marcus Vining & Peter Jones (Ealing) 94; 11, Tony Johannson & Carina Haking (Kunsungen) 89; =12, Gerry Honeysett & Kath Honeysett (Haywards Heath), Kevin O’Connor & Liam Dowling (Woodenbridge) 85; 14, David Barton & Richard Johnson (Effingham) 84; 15, Emyr Davies & Bob Bubbins (The Glamorganshire) 8; =16, Joe Lally & Sean Cook, (Goring & Streatley), Tina Wakeford & Ian Wakeford (Cooden Beach) 80; 18, Hans-Werner Jabs-Groβ & Manfred Jaeger (Celle), 78.
 
 
Individual competition, Stableford points: 1, Richie Barry (Westport) 72; =2, Nick Haigh (Old Thorns), Antony Chicheportiche 71; 4, Marcus Vining (Ealing) 70; 5, James Lay (Foxhills) 67; =6, Vincent Bromey (L’Empereur), Trevor Gregory (Chobham) 61; =8, Kieran McGloin (Westport), Trevor Freeman (Stoke Park) 58; ; =10, John Howells (Windlesham), Gerry Honeysett (Haywards Heath) 57; =12, Tom Donaldson (Mill Ride), Tony Johannson (Kungsgangen) 56; =14, Michael Ward (Mill Ride), Julie Herman (L’Empereur) 55; =16, Chris Cook (Wildwood), Emyr Davies (The Glamorganshire) 54; =18, Peter Franklin (Stoke Park), Jim McFadyen (Wildwood) 53; =20, Hans-Werner Jabs-Groβ (Celle), Tina Wakeford (Cooden Beach) 52; =22, David Barton (Effingham), Kevin O’Connor (Woodenbridge), Marion Collins (Chobham) 51; 25, Peter Hurwood (Windlesham) 50; 26, Joe Lally (Goring & Streatley) 49; 27, Orla Sweeney (Foxhills) 48; 28, Liam Dowling (Woodenbridge) 47; 29, Carina Haking (Kungsgangen) 45; =30, Richard Johnson (Effingham), Peter Jones (Ealing) 40; =32, Bob Bubbins (The Glamorganshire), Ian Wakeford (Cooden Beach) 39; 34, Manfred Jaeger (Celle) 37; 35, Sean Cook (Goring & Streatley) 36; 36, Kath Honeysett (Haywards Heath) 34.