JO HACKER said he feels in good shape after a ‘roller coaster’ homecoming to win the La Moye Trophy.
The Island Games gold medallist was a class apart on the links of his home course, finishing eight strokes clear of fellow La Moye members Jeremy Phillips and Charlie Kiberd in joint-second place after two gruelling rounds of golf to finish on four-under par.
It was always likely that Hacker would win here but it gave the US college-based 23-year-old the opportunity for some fine tuning in a competitive setting on his return to Jersey – ahead of competing in the English Amateur Championship at Ferndown next week.
‘The morning round was like a rollercoaster. Seven birdies, a lot of bogeys and a double.
‘But the putter was hot. I gave myself a lot of opportunities and then the second round was the same, just hit it solid into the green, made the putt a lot of time and I felt like I could have been really deep but then made bogey on 13 and double on the 15.
‘That’s golf, but my game is in good shape,’ said Hacker.
‘It’s always nice to play La Moye. It’s always windy up here. It’s a good challenge.
‘It played quite long today, the pins were all the way at the back of the greens, so it’s a good test.
‘I saw it as good practice for next week,’ he added.
‘I’m playing quite well, so I will just take it shot by shot and see what happens.’
The wind certainly proved a challenge for the other golfers at La Moye.
Philips was the only other player to break par, with 70 in the second round, matching both of Hacker’s efforts, while Kiberd, Matthew Parkman and Alex Guelpa all shot level par in their second rounds to finish in the top five of the leaderboard.
Parkman and Guelpa were on the same team as Hacker for the Island Games in Guernsey last week and, along with Joshua Ozard, brought back a team silver to go with Hacker’s individual gold.
The windy conditions at L’Ancresse over four days of competition also made things tough, even if the field he was up against wasn’t as much, Hacker was still delighted to be a part of it and return to Jersey with the win.
‘The level of competition wasn’t that strong but to do it when you’re nervous and under pressure is a pretty rewarding feeling,’ he continued.
‘It was good fun and I enjoyed the whole week, just being with the team as well was a great experience.’
