Southport & Ainsdale 2026

A former Ryder Cup venue, clear blue skies, a hole in one on the very first hole, and a winning score that turned heads, Southport & Ainsdale delivered a truly memorable day of links golf.

Course Highlights

Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club is a classic championship links course on England's Golf Coast, renowned for its rolling sand dunes, strategic bunkering, and challenging coastal winds. A former Ryder Cup venue, it rewards accurate shot-making and offers a memorable mix of demanding par-3s, risk-and-reward par-5s, and one of the finest finishing stretches in British golf. The kind of course that earns its reputation every time you play it.

Weather Conditions

Clear blue skies all day, with a slight breeze rolling in during the afternoon — about as good as links conditions get. Beautiful weather that let the course really shine, with just enough wind to keep things honest without making scoring impossible. The field made the most of it.

Memorable Moments

The shot of the day — and quite possibly the shot of Joe Fraser's golfing life — came right at the start of the round. A nice easy 6-iron into the par-3 1st, rolled up to the pin... and in it went. A hole in one on his very first hole. What a way to start a round, and the kind of moment Joe will be telling stories about for years to come.

And on the style front, Best Dressed honours went to the pairing of Shane Swindells and Andrew Atkinson, who turned up in full matching outfits — right down to the socks. A proper commitment to the bit and a worthy nod.

Tournament Highlights

A standout winning score of 49 points topped the leaderboard — a brilliant number on a course of this calibre. Even more impressive when you break it down: the winning pair of Liam Hadley and Lewis Ball put together individual rounds of 36 and 39 points respectively, combining for that 49 betterball total. Outstanding scoring across both bags.

Winners

Huge congratulations to Liam Hadley and Lewis Ball, who took the top spot with a superb 49 points. A fantastic round on a former Ryder Cup venue and a thoroughly deserved win — backed up by strong individual numbers from both players.

In the runners-up spot were Richard Liddle and Keith Wright with a brilliant 47 points — a fantastic effort right at the top of the field and a score that would have won most events.

On the Course

Plenty of action away from the main leaderboard too:

• Men's Longest Drive — Charles Blackshaw
• Ladies' Longest Drive — Tracy Porteous
• Nearest the Pin (1st) — Joe Fraser (hole in one!)
• Nearest the Pin (8th) — Thomas Hedley
• Nearest the Pin (10th) — David Tate
• Nearest the Pin (13th) — Edwin Beltrami

A day Joe in particular won't be forgetting in a hurry.

A brilliant day on England's Golf Coast. Thanks to everyone who played, to Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club for hosting us so well, and huge congratulations once again to Liam and Lewis on their win — and to Joe for an unforgettable opening hole. Onto the next one.

Leaderboard can be found here.