Northern Golf Masters 2023

On the day...

With a wet September, the golf course was presented excellently for the tournament, however yet another day of wind and rain added to the challenge of the day.

The only player to break par on the day, Blackwell Grange’s Adam Rochester, was the tournament winner with his score of 2 under par, gross 70. With three birdies on his card on holes 4, 6 & 17, Adam left the course disappointed after a bogey on the 18th hole to finish the day. However, after a 3 hour wait for the remainder of the field to finish, Adam would finish ahead of the pack by 2 clear shots.

Second place in the NGM was taken by Tyneside’s Kris Rae, with a score of level par, 72. Local golfers, Andre Malo and Mike Henson both of Rockliffe Hall ended their rounds on 1 over par, 73, with Andre taking third place on countback.

Words from the winner...

Winner of competition, Adam Rochester, said "I’ve been playing really well this year and coming off winning the TSU match play championship last weekend at Cleveland, I knew my game was in good shape and I expected to challenge at Rockliffe Hall NGM."

"I got off to a solid start with birdies on 4th and 6th shooting -2 on the front half playing solid, whereas on holes 10 and 11 I had to scramble for pars. I had 2 great chances for birdie on 15 and 16th but just shaving the edges on both putts, but then I hit a great drive down 17 and had 95 yards second shot hitting it to about 5/6 feet making the putt to go -3.Then onto the 18th hole I unfortunately made my only bogey of the day after just catching the tree near the green and not making up and down for par".

"I always enjoy playing Rockliffe, the course is always in fantastic condition and it’s a tough test when in the wind off the black tees. I look forward to coming back next year and trying to defend the Northern Masters Title 🏆"

Head of Golf at Rockliffe Hall, Tom West, said: “We always enjoy showcasing the golf course at Rockliffe Hall from the Black Tees, and to see some of the best golfers in the region taking on the over 7,200 yard challenge, is certainly exciting to watch. Full credit must go to our excellent greenkeeping team, who presented the course so well after the very wet past 3 months the region has been experiencing. Congratulations to Adam who has had a fantastic year, he also had a great round from the Gold Tees earlier in the year with us during the 2020 Pro Tour.”

Rockliffe Hall’s world-class golf course is recognised as one of the best in the UK and was strategically designed by top golf architect, Marc Westonborg from Hawtree. Thanks to its engineering and construction, the course remains open all year round and benefits from no winter greens or tees.

Last year’s NGM winner was Dan Norman of Teesside Golf Club, who shot a level par score 70, also with a winning margin of 2 shots.