Spring Invitational Round 4
Kingsbarns has played host to Round 4 of our Spring Invitational for almost 20 years. There are several reasons for its inclusion as the final day venue. Its remarkable April conditioning, the wonderful service level, and perhaps most importantly - the chance to make birdies (and big numbers) throughout the entire round. Kingsbarns is a magnificent tournament venue with a wonderful mix of risk/reward holes and jaw-dropping beauty. In fact, you often leave Kingsbarns with a sore neck as you simply don't know what to look at next.
Our season-opening event normally overlaps The Masters in Augusta, Georgia. So while we can't claim to be the leading invitational tournament in world golf this week, it's perfect for our competitors to play through the day and watch on tv at night. Everyone must've been well behaved and early to bed, as the range was full over an hour ahead of the first tee-time. Either that or news had got out that limited edition Scotty Camerons were on the prize table.
In the Scratch event, we have been treated to some stellar golf this week with a third of the field holding a handicap index below 3.0. North Carolina's Barry Carpenter got off to a flying start with an eagle on the long 3rd. But a string of costly errors on the back nine put paid to his chances to making the prizes. Marc Briggs played some nice stuff this week but just couldn't get his scoring boots on. He'll be back with his sons for another tilt at this title in future years. Logan Woolley was moving along nicely until a double at 11 derailed his chances of capturing the overall crown. The same can be said for 1-handicapper Ben Graham. The dreaded 6-6-6 appeared out of nowhere leaving him with too much work to do on the final six holes. However, there has been an aura about Carson Reynolds this week. He smiled through his average scores at the start of the week and improved throughout. When some people hit the ball it just sounds that little bit different and Carson is a proud owner of this innate gift. You could feel him moving through the gears and he delivered when he had to. Reynolds played the final 36 holes in just 2 over the card, which is strong golf across Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. Through several Connoisseur Golf trips we've witnessed this young man grow up through his teenage years, and a nicer guy you could not meet. We're proud to name Carson Reynolds our 2026 Scratch Champion.
Utah's Ryan Halliday is a man of sophistication and refinement, but also has a winning mentality and a game that travels - having last year bagged our Autumn Invitational. He rode a heater for 16 holes on The Old Course but aside from that played three solid rounds of golf. His consistency was enough for a runner-up finish in our main event. Halliday was one of only two golfers to beat their handicap over the 72 holes. But storming through the field came young Devon Spangler, son of long time Connoisseur client Jeff. The results of hard work on the simulator over the winter months were apparent. Three steady scores paved the way for Spangler Jr to cut loose in the final round and boy did he just. He was six under the card after seven holes. It was all going so well, too well, until he stepped onto the 13th tee and suffered two painful doubles back-to-back. When this kind of thing happens in golf you can sink or swim. Spangler proved he is firmly in the camp of the latter, finishing with four nett pars. Congratulations Devon and we look forward to seeing you back at a future event. Thanks to Rusacks Hotel for providing a wonderful base for the week. GM Seamus Coen is a man that makes things happen, and our guests were looked after royally. Enjoy The Masters and we wish all our competitors a successful golfing season ahead.
