Barry shows his staying power

GOLDEN OLDIE... Barry Collier won the vice-captain’s day competition after a titanic struggle over 42 holes.

GOLF: PENSIONER Barry Collier came through a 42-hole marathon to claim the major prize of vice-captain’s day at Werneth.


The 68-year-old former joiner was joint first-round leader after a splendid net 63 and looked to have shots in hand as he headed down the 17th hole of round two.



But there he played the wrong ball, incurred a two-shot penalty, and signed for a net 68 that had him tied with club secretary John Barlow, who had registered impressive rounds of 66 and 65.



With the evening sun setting, the pair set out on a six-hole play-off with 20-handicapper Collier having a 1.67-shot advantage over 15-handicapper Barlow.



And it all came down to the last hole — if they halved, the victory was Barry’s, but a win would see John take the spoils.



John’s three-wood slipped agonisingly off the back of the giant 18th green and though he chipped up to five feet his putt to win the competition slid by.



That left Barry with a four-foot putt and he rolled it in to give him his second major success at Werneth – his other was 25 years ago in the Fairway Cup.