England’s Ian Cook found the recipe for success in capturing the grand final of the Morocco Match-Play, powered by HowDidiDo.

Cook, an eight-handicapper from Hessle GC, in Hull, found himself four down to Brookmans Park’s John Dewberry before the turn, but had fought back to be all square standing on the 18th tee and then win with an exceptional ‘up-and-down’ from a greenside bunker.

It was just reward for the 44-year-old surveyor who had won each of his previous four matches during a week played out in glorious sunshine in Morocco, on both of the Royal Dar es Salam courses – Blue and Red – and the Tony Jacklin Casablanca.

He said: “I’m still shaking now to be honest. It’s unbelievable. The hardest format in golf is match-play and just my nerves coming down that last hole proved it to me. I’ve never won anything as prestigious as this – I’ve done OK before, but not won it. It means everything to me – it’s brilliant.

“Everything about the event and the week out here has been top notch. The guys I’ve been playing with have all been fantastic – their company has been tremendous, I can’t speak highly enough of them. We’ve had a ball. And to play a championship course like this has been really good.

Hull’s Ian Cook (left) winner of the 2015 Morocco Match-Play, powered by HowDidiDo, standing with two-time former winner Chris Wall, from Middlesbrough.

“It’s my first time in Morocco and it’s a great place for winter golf. There was a tweet from my home club this morning saying something about the course is now open – it had been closed – but there is still snow in places. Yet here we are in shorts and short-sleeve shirts and I’m going home with a title – it just doesn’t come any better.”

Three other titles were also decided at the grand final, with previous winners Garry Catt and Eileen McMullen, from Richmond GC (Yorks), regaining the mixed title they last won two years ago in Portugal.

Catt, who plays off a handicap of one, said: “I’m a competitive golfer and it’s a very competitive event throughout, especially this year, when you’ve had to play home and away matches – and the away matches went right to the wire. It was a really good format, very testing, very much like the final. You get drawn into competitive golf from the very first ball you hit.

“On Tuesday our caddy disappeared for 10 minutes into the trees and came back out and said ‘I’m a father!’ – so we’ve had a baby! He’d been going to the hospital in the morning and coming here at midday for us. And we were so friendly with him this week we could be God-parents …” he laughed.

“Golf here (in Morocco) is well up with Spain, Portugal and America, without a doubt.”

Hart Common GC’s Jack Crompton and Terry Battersby took the open pairs title as golfers from the north of the country dominated. But in the seniors pairs, the title headed to Essex and Stock Brook Manor GC, courtesy of Steve Adkins, 52, and Robert Turner, 58, who impressed from the first tee-off.

A delighted Adkins, a two-handicapper, said: “It’s been a fantastic week. To go out at this time of year to play golf in this weather on great courses, it’s been tremendous. We improved as the week went on and today, on the Red Course, was our best round. It’s superb here; it’s much greener than I imagined. The weather has been fantastic for this time of year and they’re really friendly people, very hospitable.

“My caddy was a six-handicapper himself. He got everything right; always gave me the correct club for the shot – and I lost my best Carnoustie hat to him too, as he asked for it,” he smiled.

Five-handicapper Turner added: “At £25 entry fee it’s certainly money well spent, fantastic value. And we’ll be back competing this year trying to retain the title. It’ll be good watching the course when it’s on the European Tour next year. We can remember the holes and watch as they drive it 100 yards past where we landed … off the back tees.

“The caddies were absolutely brilliant. How they read the lines on these greens I’ve no idea. We trusted them and they got us over the line.”

In total 30 finalists enjoyed complimentary return flights to Morocco; six-nights’ accommodation at the stunning, five-star L’Amphitrite Palace hotel, in Skhirat; and five rounds of golf, at both the prestigious Royal Golf Dar Essalam, which hosted the last Moroccan Open in 2001, and returns to the Tour in 2016, and the Tony Jacklin Casablanca.

The trip to the grand final was reward for their efforts for battling through local rounds and a regional final during 2014, in competitions open to any golfer who is a member of an affiliated club with an officially recognised handicap.

HowDidiDo’s database now holds in excess of 21 million rounds of golf along with the handicaps, results and scores of more than 1,300,000 UK golf club members. It is now arguably the largest and most up-to-date database of golfers in Europe.

What’s more, the brand is also the driving force behind two of the best supported amateur golf events in the UK: the annual Titleist Order of Merit – the largest golf event of its kind in the country – and the Morocco Matchplay (formerly the HowDidiDo National Matchplay Championship).

It is also currently engaged in a widespread campaign with the BOSS Watches H1 Club to reward all its registered golfers with a luxury timepiece should they record a hole-in-one during an official club competition. Since the programme launched in April 2013, more than 4,700 HowDidiDo golfers have received a limited-edition watch worth £225.

www.howdidido.com | www.moroccomatchplay.co.uk