Two Rounds In: Fast Starts, High Scores and a New Era Under Captain Tim Crane
The new Widows Golf Society season has begun with a fresh face at the helm as Tim Crane steps into the role of Captain. With a new campaign underway — and a new points-based scoring system replacing the traditional win-only format — the early rounds have already delivered drama, big scores, and a clear early frontrunner.
John Hopkins Sets the Pace
If there’s been one standout story from the opening fortnight, it’s the flying start from John Hopkins.
Hopkins has taken victory in both of the opening rounds, immediately establishing himself as the man to beat. His consistent performances under the new scoring format have propelled him to the top of the early leaderboard with 8 points, giving him a small but significant cushion after two weeks.
Hot on his heels is Brian Hamer, who has put together two strong rounds to sit on 6 points, while Mark Graves occupies third place with 5 points.
Early Leaderboard
After two rounds the standings look like this:
With points now awarded to the top four teams each week, the new system is already keeping the leaderboard tightly packed and rewarding consistency rather than just outright wins.
Birdie Race: Andy Starts Strong
Away from the main standings, the Birdie competition has also burst into life early in the season.
Andy King has wasted no time stamping his authority, racking up four birdies across the first two rounds to take an early lead in that race. If he keeps that pace up, the chasing pack will need to sharpen their irons quickly.
Apron Watch
At the other end of the table, the dreaded Aprons have already made an appearance — though this season they are proving hard to pin down.
So far four different players have shared the honour, suggesting the competition might be far more evenly balanced this year.
One man who will be hoping the tide turns soon is Mike Hunt, who unfortunately has the unwanted distinction of losing his only game so far. With plenty of golf still to play, he’ll be hoping that trend doesn’t become a habit.
This Week’s Scoring: A Countback Thriller
This week’s round produced one of the highest scoring contests in recent memory.
Two teams finished with a remarkable 45 points, forcing the result to be decided on countback — a sign of just how competitive the golf has been early this season.
In fact, the overall scoring across the opening two rounds has been exceptionally high, suggesting that players have returned from the off-season sharp, confident, and ready to attack the course.
Season Outlook
With a new captain, a new scoring system, and a leaderboard already taking shape, the Widows Golf Society season is off to a lively start.
John Hopkins holds the early advantage, Andy leads the birdie hunt, and the apron race remains wide open.
But if the opening two weeks are anything to go by, this season could be one of the most competitive yet.