Dave won Round 1 at Stevenage with 34 Stableford points.
Round 1 at Stevenage was taken by Dave, whose 34-point return proved enough to top the Stableford standings and set the benchmark for the field.
Dave also produced the best gross score of the day with 98, completing a standout double and underlining just how strong the winning performance was from start to finish.
Dave showed earliest after 3 holes on 6 points, by 6 holes Con (James) was in front on 10, at the turn Con (James) led with 16, through 12 holes Con (James) remained prominent on 19, after 15 holes Dave was still right in the mix on 26, and by the finish Dave had sealed it with 34 points.
The closing stretch mattered. The eventual winning total improved by 18 points from the turn to the clubhouse, which suggests the back nine played a decisive role in shaping the final order.
Deano produced the sharpest scoring of the day with 1 under-par hole, Gal set the standard for consistency with 4 pars, Satch had the most dropped shots with 8 bogeys, while Shanker (Grant) endured the heaviest damage on the card with 14 double-bogey-or-worse holes.
Deano produced the strongest positional move of the day, climbing from 7th after 9 holes to 4th by the finish and putting together one of the most effective back-nine runs in the field.
The round also saw notable leaderboard movement, with Deano improved by 3 places, Dave improved by 2 places, Shanker (Grant) improved by 2 places.
Dave not only won the round but also shaped the wider competition picture, dave won Longest Drive on hole 5 with 350 yd, 5 yards farther than the next best effort. — 2nd | 4 pts, Dave won New test with 34 points — one | £2, and Dave leads Overall Gross after Round 1.
Con (James) won Closest to the Pin on hole 12 with 3m, 2m closer than the next best effort. — Winner | £50
Random Team 1 won Blind Pairs — First Place (prize per player) | £20
