As the players walked in from the 18th hole, the rain was already starting to bucket down but it still could not dampen the sense of excitement in the clubhouse: no one knew yet exactly how the scores had finished. The end result was even closer than anyone could have expected: Smith was the winner with 52 points, just one ahead of four others on 51 points: Hardie, Wilson, Harper and Sparks. Second place was therefore decided by adding up the total number of Stableford points, so the rankings were Hardie (130) in second place, followed by Wilson (129), Sparks (113) and Harper (110). Check the scorecard reproduced later on!

So we said goodbye to a very wet and gusty Arran with a sense of elation. Another huge success - some said possibly the best event so far. The organisation by the General was superb, the setting and weather wonderful, and the golf an inspiration: a new champion, a new runner-up and a bigger, more competitive field overall. So if you couldn't make the tournament, make sure you catch up on the excellent match coverage on video at a mere £94.99 + £11.95 P&P* - or even better, make sure you are there next year!

The Dudley Open 2002 Final Scores

Hole Competitor	.1	.2	.3	.4	.5	.6	.7	.8	.9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Best Score	Total Points
Smith	3	2	5	3	2	4	3	2	4	4	4	2	3	2	4	2	3	2	52	125
Hardie	2	3	4	2	2	3	3	2	5	2	4	2	3	3	3	3	2	2	51	130
Wilson	2	3	4	3	3	3	3	2	3	2	2	3	3	3	4	3	2	3	51	129
Sparks	4	3	3	4	3	2	3	4	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	4	2	51	113
Harper	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	3	2	5	3	2	2	51	110
Bates	2	3	3	3	2	3	3	2	3	2	3	3	3	2	4	3	3	3	50	124
MacLean	1	3	3	3	2	4	4	3	3	2	3	2	3	2	2	4	2	1	47	112
Jennings	2	2	3	2	3	3	3	2	4	2	2	2	1	2	3	2	3	3	44	112
Monaghan	1	3	3	3	0	2	4	2	2	3	2	3	3	2	2	2	4	3	44	79
High	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	1	2	3	2	2	2	3	3	3	2	1	43	98
Suttie	1	0	2	3	0	2	1	0	3	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	37	61

* just joking - yours for free if you're desperate enough to want to watch it!