Snape shares Welsh Senior Open title despite stormy conditions
DevonGolf celebrates more success for Saunton star Mark Snape
Saunton’s Mark Snape has been crowned joint Welsh Senior Strokeplay Champion 2026 after a weather-disrupted tournament at St Pierre, near Chepstow, was abandoned following the first round.
The championship has been dogged by the elements from the outset. Originally scheduled for June, the event was postponed when a summer heatwave sent temperatures soaring above 90°F in the Wye Valley. The rescheduled tournament faced a very different challenge last week, with the arrival of Storm Austen bringing gale-force winds and torrential rain.
Fortunately for Snape, the opening round had been completed before conditions deteriorated, allowing those scores to stand as the final result.
His superb round of 77 earned him a share of the title with Forest Hills’ Mike Burris, who also returned a 77 to finish as joint champion.
Snape’s success brought an additional reward, with the 28,000 England Golf Order of Merit points he collected lifting him into the top 10 in England’s senior rankings for the season.
There was further cause for celebration for Devon, with Churston’s Rick Osborne among the players tied for third place, just one shot behind the joint winners.
Also in the group finishing third was Mike White, who currently represents Wiltshire but is moving to Devon over the winter. White is expected to join Churston in 2027, strengthening the club’s senior contingent and providing further encouragement for the Devon Golf Senior Team.
Wales Golf made an attempt to get the second round under way on Friday, October 23, but the worsening weather made play increasingly hazardous. Players were being struck by flying debris as gale-force winds swept across the course, while further heavy rain was forecast for ground already saturated by the conditions.
With safety the overriding concern, organisers had little choice but to abandon the second round and declare the first-round scores final.
After two attempts to stage the championship were disrupted by extreme weather, Snape will be particularly pleased to have secured a national title. The joint championship honour, coupled with his rise into England’s top 10 senior golfers, provides a memorable reward for a performance that proved good enough despite the elements having the final say.