His 28 points at Sidmouth on the final day was enough to give the crown by a single point from Kevin. The toughness of the weekend reflected in the overall winning total of 94.
Day one - Warren
Dawlish Warren was the setting for the opening round of the 2015 Tour and we enjoyed the club's lunches and hospitality before we teed off. A new rule was passed which meant last year's winner got a 10% handicap cut.
This is a genuine links course and with the wind blowing there wasn't a lot of room for errors, particularly on the front nine. Stuart, making his return after a four year absence, was a surprise leader with his 37 points. Kevin (36), Simon (34) and Matthew and Ben (32) were all well poised behind him. Paul and James did not find the conditions to their liking.
Day two - Bridport and West Dorset
A great course up on the cliffs and a stiff wind both had their say in sorting out the field on day two. None of the frontrunners really made their move and it was left to James to top score with a massive 42.
Stuart fell back from his day one lead and the day ended by a wedding party on the 18th with Simon a point ahead of Kevin. There was a six point gap to third place, Ben's chances of a threepeat went with a 24 point round.
Day three - Sidmouth
The wind died and the temperature cranked up for the deciding round. We'd liked the look of the scorecard (par 66, seven par threes, easy!) but it was an undulating, and in some places steep way to finish the Tour.
James and Stuart both threatened to hit the big score they needed for the win but putting (james) and chipping (Stuart) eventually let them down. It came down to Simon and Kevin and it came down to the 18th. Neither of them got their approach close and when Kevin's putt didn't make it up the slope the door opened for Simon. He stepped through and emotionally received the trophy in the clubhouse.
Final scores
Simon - 34, 32, 28 = 94
Kevin - 36, 29, 28 = 93
Stuart - 37, 22, 28 = 87
James - 15, 42, 30 = 87
Matthew - 32, 22, 32 = 86
Ben W - 32, 24, 29 = 85
Paul - 17, 29, 17 = 63
Postscript 1 - Simon's summary
Great time & fantastic company all.
Excellent tour.
Ben top quality courses and for the price amazing.
Excellent accommodation Matthew
Can’t deny to finally win the Kylie Open was a great feeling guys
Postscript 2 - Matthew's Highlights
The width of the river Thames.
Morecombe and Wise.
The wine list.
Earphones around neck, glasses on head.
Poking the eastern European hotel staff.
Know your place little bro.
The bag strike.
The emotional winners acceptance speech.
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