ADAM Rowbotham retained Saddleworth’s club championship, winning the 36-hole major by a whopping six shots in the scratch event …. despite describing his play as “rubbish”.
The 32-year-old shot a one-over-par 72 and two-under 69 for a two-round total of 141.
“I must have scored eight or nine bogeys over the two rounds. It was not my best golf, but I still managed to win,” he explained.
Adam put the lack of sharpness down to missing three-and-a-half weeks through injury and only recently returning to action.
“I hit a tree’s roots with my club during a round at Saddleworth and thought I had broken fingers though, luckily, they were just badly bruised. It was still annoying not being able to play,” he said.
It looked like it might be a close finish until Adam belatedly hit form to pull well clear late in the second round with birdies at 13, 14, 15 and 18. He also bogeyed 16.
He was surprised to win by such a wide margin, continuing: “The conditions were very easy by Saddleworth’s standards, and I was expecting someone to blitz the course in the morning.
“For some reason, whether it be nerves or trying too hard, but everyone struggled.”
Adam has been a member at Saddleworth for four years but, because of the pandemic, last year was the first occasion he had entered the club championship.
And the typically modest Adam, with two wins out of two in the event, described it as not too bad.
Adam, whose handicap is plus three, is the area’s lowest handicap golfer and good enough to have to pursue a career as a professional.
“I would love to be a professional and would fancy my chances,” he explained.
“But with three young children, I need a weekly wage and not the financial uncertainty of not knowing where your next pay cheque will come from.
“Ideally it would be great to have a sponsor who would pay me to play.”
It has been another successful season for Adam, who works for the family’s blinds business, as his other big win was landing the Oldham and District Championship in the competition’s centenary year.
Adam, who lives on the Lees/Springhead border, is no stranger to major success, though, as he won the club championship three times at Werneth where he was a multiple major winner, between 15 and 20 by his estimation.
He is from a family of top golfers as he, brother Lee and father Paul all moved to Saddleworth four years ago from Werneth.
There was one stage when all three played off scratch which was a remarkable achievement.
Runner-up in the club championship was Ben Pullen with rounds of 70 and 77 for 147.
Adam’s brother Lee, last year’s runner-up, was third with 75 and 73 for 148.
A subsidiary singles 18-hole Stableford, held alongside the club championship, was won by Darren Smith with 41 points from Steve Lowe (39) who was second on the card from Tony Isaacs.
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