The Superstars Open 2016 tournament was held at the magnificent Course de l’Ours in Ariège, France. Most of this course is outdoors and the players were blessed with excellent weather this year, which both they and the spectator(s) appreciated after last year’s wet and windy affair.
There were fourteen top players competing this year and we bring you exclusive action shots of the tournament here at Golfington HQ. As most golfington fans will know by now, Lars won the competition to become the first player to win the Superstars Open twice. This is how it played out through the day.
There is a video roundup here, and then a hole-by-hole analysis below
Hole 1
The first hole, Granging Rooms, was the only indoor hole and led to a few unusual shots on the stairs. Very few players fell victim to the out of bounds sofas. Switching the hole from the bidet to a ring on the floor meant that rebounds off the back wall into the hole were possible.
Hole 2
The second hole, Pool et Pont, required the players to tee off from the pool table area, across the bridge, around the bamboo, past a couple of trees and over to the hole under the slide. This was a monster of a par 6 hole. The pool net had to be deployed on a number of occasions to retrieve misdirected cocks from the river. Lars managed a brilliant eagle on this hole in his second round!
Hole 3
The third hole, Zucchini Jacuzzi, required players to clear the vegetable beds. Once that was done, it offered tempting long-range shots at the oversized hole on the jacuzzi lid. There were a few long range birdies here over the course of the day and also a number of near misses. Not much went into the water hazards here.
Hole 4
The fourth hole, Into the Woods, required players to play in amongst the trees and long grass. Some managed to keep it on the path all the way but others had to endure trees, twigs, long grass and spiders.
Hole 5
The fifth hole, Cock on a Block, included heavy vegetation, water hazards and a raised hole. The stream here was quite narrow but did see to be a magnet for misdirected shots. We needed to scurry back to get the pool net from hole 2 more than once.
Hole 6
The sixth hole, Ligne de Linge, was relatively straightforward. Nobody managed to get it lodged into the target from long range, but there were several close calls.
Hole 7
The seventh hole was a par 2 in the petanque court, called Edènedac, named as such because it was the reverse of a hole at La Cadenède two years ago. This did present an opportunity for a hole in one, but there were no takers on the day.
Hole 8
The eighth hole, The Jungle Gates, caused a minor amount of mayhem with its bamboo, tables and chairs in the dining area. Once past those obstacles though, the approach to the secluded hole proved relatively easy.
Hole 9
The ninth hole, Pergola Party, gave players a wide selection of tee-off positions from anywhere within the railings on the pergola. The hole was near the corner of the pool and a few misdirected shots did land in the pool. The washing line proved an accidental hazard at times.
Results
That was it! Lars played a brilliant final round which included an eagle on the par 6 second hole, to finish on 35. This made him the first player in the history of the Superstars Open to win twice. Murdo had been the early leader on 37 but had to settle for second place, his highest finish yet. Kings ended on 38, bringing up his second consecutive Superstars Open third place.
Then the only thing left was prize-giving and best-dressed vote.
The best-dressed award deservedly went to Joslyn this time round:
