WINTER golf is back and Devon’s finest were ready for battle. A little rain? Black tees? Some of Devon’s very best golfers? Bring it on!

The 2026/27 Masons Kings DevonGolf Winter Series is back for its third year and, judging by the quality of the field at the opening event at Stover Golf Club, we’re in for another cracking winter of competitive golf.

This popular scratch Winter Series features six competitions, with the best four scores from the first five events, plus the sixth and final event, to decide the winner. It allows the DevonGolf Team Managers to oversee the progress of potential squad players, as well as providing competition at the highest level. There are prizes up for grabs at every event but the big carrot is free entry into all of the 2027 DevonGolf Summer Order of Merit events.

The weather forecast may have been threatening rain but that certainly didn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm. A full field of Devon's finest turned out, with an impressive 35% of competitors playing off handicaps of 0 to +3. That's some serious golfing talent – the cream of Devon's crop.

With the black tees in play, Stover wasn't about to give up its points easily and only a handful of players really managed to get the better of the course. But Sam Dunn (The Warren) clearly wasn't fazed, producing a superb 37 points to take the opening honours.

Hot on his heels was Stover's own Sebastian Born, just one point adrift on 36, while Lester Barnes (Churston) claimed third spot with 35 points. A tight finish and a great start to the series.

The Best Junior prize stayed at Stover, courtesy of Freddie Harding, who also had a rather nice bonus to take home. Not content with one two, Freddie bagged TWO of them, at the 7th and 13th holes, earning himself an impressive haul of Titleist golf balls.

The Best Woman prize went to Susie Carr (Teignmouth), DevonGolf's Junior Girls' Captain who seems determined to make 2026 a year to remember. Susie's golfing CV is growing by the week.

This season she's claimed the Devon Women's Gold Medal, is the reigning Devon Girls' Champion and played an important part in Teignmouth's victorious Still Cup team to name just a few. But she's not just a local hero, in September Susie enjoyed a fantastic third-place finish in the England Golf Champion of Champions 2026 at Woodhall Spa.