Following the success of the 2021 EuroDov Cup, the Tour took the decision to base the event in England for another year. The Mere Golf and Spa resort was chosen as the venue due to its excellent on-site facilities and its championship golf course.

An 8-player field arrived at the Cheshire resort with dreams of lifting the trophy at the end of the 54-hole competition. The fielded boasted the 4 top ranked players in the Tour’s OTR and 5 of the top 10.

The field only had 1 Major winner in it, David McColgan, and odds on for a new winner in 2022.

After the warm-up on the unusual lake-based driving range (with floating golf balls and all) and some practice on the putting green, the field were ready to get the 2022 action underway.

Defending Champion, and 7-time Major winner, David McColgan had the honor of getting the tournament underway. He sent his first driver confidently up the left edge of the fairway and the tournament was underway.

However, it wasn’t underway in a happy fashion for McColgan. He would depart the first tee and have no luck in locating his drive and would start the first hole with a double bogey 7. The double bogey would find him losing at least a stroke to the field, and two strokes to the leader after 1, Kevin Brannan – who was the only player to par the first hole of play.

A quadruple bogey on the 2nd hole for Brannan however saw Allan, Gowens and McColgan take the lead on the 2nd. The players found the course tricky over the opening stretch with players dropping shots through the first 4 holes, until Paul Gowens recorded the first birdie of the tournament. Gowens’ first birdie gave him a 1 shot lead through 5 holes.

McColgan would card a birdie on the Par 5 9th to join the lead with Gowens who eagled the hole to claw shots back dropped on 7 and 8.

The first real charge of the tournament came from Stephen Green. After dropping 9 shots in the opening 10 holes, he birdied 11, 12 and 13th to put himself two shots off the leader, D. McColgan. Kevin Brannan also dragged shots back birdieing 12 and 13th.

Gowens, Allan and Duncan would birdie 14 to pull back into single figures over par. But a birdies form Green on 15 & 17 bookended a double bogey from McColgan on 15 and the pair would reach the 18th after round 1 tied for the lead.

At the end of round 1 Green & McColgan were tied, Brannan was 3 shots behind, Gowens 5 shots adrift and Allan 6 behind with Duncan & Hutcheson 9 and 11 shots behind respectively.

The opening hole of round 2 was the complete opposite of round 1 with all players, except one – Hutcheson – parring the opening hole. Brannan, McColgan and Duncan would in fact al par the first two holes and McColgan would lead by 2 after Green had bunker trouble at the 2nd.

McColgan would retain the lead through the first 7 holes, despite dropping shots Green would also card birdies on the 4th and 7th holes and sit at 13-over par for the tournament and Gowens would card his 5th birdie of the tournament on 6 to go to 17-over.

Stuart Allan would enjoy 2 birdies and 2 pars 5 through 8 to leave him on 14-over par.

McColgan had a 6-shot lead walking on to the par 3 8th. The 8th played 135 yards to a front pin, guarded by a greenside pond. McColgan, Duncan and Brannan would all find the water but McColgan’s chip after his drop would find the water again and he’d eventually card a 7. His lead was cut to 2 over Stephen Green in the space of 10 minutes.

On the Par 5 9th McColgan’s drive was sent straight down the middle but the wind pulled it back towards the right-hand side and tree trouble. As a result, he went on to card a treble bogey 8 and slip to 14-over par and lose the outright lead to Stephen Green.

McColgan was visibly rattled as he moved towards the 10th tee which resulted in a duck hooked tee shot into the left-hand trees. From the trees he reached the side of the green in 2 but struggled down for another triple bogey dropping 10 shots in just 3 holes and slipping 4 shots off the lead.

Playing in the same group Green navigated the three holes in level par to remain on 13-over par and hold the outright lead.

Green would follow up by starting the back nine par-birdie-birdie and stretch his lead to 8 shots over McColgan.

Kevin Brannan reached the 13th hole at 20-over par but carded 3 birdies and 3 pars on the way home to card a 17-over par round. McColgan bogeyed 13 and birdied 15 to also reach the end of round 2 at 17-over.

Green would bogey the par 3 14th and triple bogey the 16th but finished on 14-over to enjoy a three-shot lead.

Stuart Allan enjoyed 4 birdies in his second round but struggled home to 23-over par and missed out on the final group to Paul Gowens by 1 shot.

Hutcheson and Duncan would be vying for the final two spots on the leader board with scores of 35-over par and 44-over par respectively after day 2.

The final round was finely poised. Stephen Green led Brannan and McColgan by 3 and Gowens by 8 and all was to play for. The weather God’s had also graced the final round with bright blue skies and sun, but also with a challenging cross wind.

McColgan showed the first sign of cracking leaking his drive to the right and flirting with the lake eventually finding his ball just a few feet from trouble. His tee shot would cost him a bogey on the first.

Green with the field breathing down his neck however would card an opening hole par, just at the same times as the three chasers all dropped a shot.

Green’s calm approach to leading the field shone through with 4 opening pars – the only player to achieve that throughout the tournament.

However, if Green was in the mood Brannan was definitely in the mood. His opening hole bogey was cancelled out with a birdie at 2, then followed up with birdies at 3 and 4. He’d close the lead to just 1.

At the same time McColgan triple bogeyed the par 3 third hole and was suddenly 6 adrift of Green. Gowens started with three straight bogeys to sit 12 adrift after 4.

Time for the first lead change of the day. Green’s tee shot went right on the 5th – like his two previous rounds – and tree trouble cost him strokes. He’d limp home with a quadruple bogey. Brannan and McColgan would par the hole and Gowens bogey it. Brannan now held a 3 shot lead over Green, 5 hosts over McColgan and 12 over Gowens.

A bogey by Brannan on 6 was matched by Green whilst McColgan carded a good scrambling par, but Gowens trumped all with a birdie.

The 7th hole had caused players trouble al week with the greenside approach but like round 1 McColgan dispatched a driver 50-degree wedge to just a few feet, and down for birdie. His score was matched by Gowens. A par for Brannan and a bogey from Green saw the leaderboard change around again.

Pars by Brannan and McColgan ensures the gap remained 3 after 8, but a birdie by Green – the only player to hit the par 3 8th from the tee saw him join McColgan in 2nd.

Brannan found trouble in the deep rough on the right of 9 and struggled down for a double bogey, McColgan and Gowens carded pars but Green dropped a shot.

Brannan’s lead was down to 1 over McColgan and 2 over Green as Gowens had quietly pulled to within 8.

As 8, 9 & 10 were McColgan’s downfall in round 2, it would be Brannan’s turn in the final round. Already 2 shots gone thru 9 he’d card a triple bogey after a lost tee shot and tree trouble, Green would birdie the 10th to join McColgan on 19-over par and take a 2 shot lead over Brannan and 5 shot of Gowens.
The third set of leaders on the day.

A bogey from Green on 11 after a poor tee shot was bettered by McColgan who got a par and took the outright lead by 1.

The fourth leadership change was quickly followed by another on 12 where Green managed a Par and McColgan a bogey to leave the two over them 2 in front of Brannan and 5 in front of Gowens.

13 saw leaderboard change number 6. McColgan had a great sand save from the greenside bunker where Green was having issues. He’d take the solo lead; however, Brannan carded an excellent birdie to pull with in 1 of McColgan with Green and Gowens both 4 a drift of the leader.

Switch number 7 came at the very next hole. The par 3 14th had challenged the field all week by Brannan carded an excellent birdie, with McColgan bogeying and Green parring. Unfortunately, Gowens 4-putted the green after an excellent approach all but ending his chances of winning the Cup.

Standing on 15 Brannan enjoyed a 1 shot lead. The hole had yielded two pars for him to date, but his tee shot found tree trouble and was lost resulting in 3 off the tee. He managed to card a bogey to slip to 21-over. McColgan carded a par but Green’s birdie shook things up. Green was now just two shots a drift of the leaders McColgan and Brannan.

The 16th saw another change of leader, this time McColgan took a 1-shot lead. Poor tee shots by McColgan and Brannan saw them catch the left-hand trees, and the green blocked out for their second shot. They would limp to a bogey and double bogey respectively, whilst Green’s tee shot left him with a direct second shot and he carded a par. McColgan now led by 1 over Brannan and Green.

The 17th saw the three players in the hunt all over hole, McColgan found tree trouble left, Green right and Brannan found the fairway. McColgan scrambled down for a bogey, but Green and Brannan managed a par to leave all three players at 23-over par walking on to the Par 5 18th.

Green first to tee found his tee shot failing to reach the high plateau of the fairway and trickle towards the water.

Brannan dispatched his drive to the right edge of the plateau and McColgan opted to fly it all to reach the second half of the fairway over the service road.

Green’s second shot couldn’t be any more than a recover and he got to within 140 yards. Brannan’s second caught a lone pine on the right side of the fairway to lie about 150 yards from the green.

McColgan was first to play, and he sent an 8-iron over the lone tree guarding the green around 70 yards short. It was an aggressive line that bounced short of the green and found the greenside bunker.

Green’s approach caught the lone tree and felt short by about 50 yards.

Brannan opted to play his shot to the landing zone left of the lone tree and found himself 20 yards off the green with a down hill chip. He sent the downhill chip towards the green and the ball came to rest about 6 feet from the pin.

Green’s approach found the greenside bunker and after two attempts to get out eventually finished the tournament on 27-over par and third place.

McColgan was lying in the bunker for 2, with the knowledge that Brannan had 6 foot for a birdie. The greenside bunker was around 9 feet deep and standing in it McColgan couldn’t see the green. He deftly lifted the ball from the base of the bunker and rolled it up to about 7 feet.

As McColgan read the green it was agreed his ball was first to play. He stood over the ball and starting the ball on the inside left edge he sunk his putt for a birdie. Pressure on Brannan.

Brannan had 6 feet, straight up hill with a slight right to left break on. He steadied himself over the ball and putt a confident stroke on the ball, the ball took the break and agonizingly slid by the low edge of the cup.

After 54 holes, two putts inside 7 feet decided the tournament and the 7-time Major winner, David McColgan added another victory to his name.

It was a tournament and a finish worth of the title of Major, the surroundings, the course, and the players all played their part in making it a Major to remember.

The EuroDov Tour announced this week that the EuroDov Cup will return to the continent in 2023, and will be held in Cascais, Portugal, home of the 2019 EuroDov Cup. Check out the announcement via the EuroDov Tour webpage.