THE Cyder Cup proved once again that it is one of the highlights of the summer golfing calendar, with competitors battling through exceptionally firm and fast conditions at both Mendip and Wells Golf Clubs.

Following another prolonged period of dry weather, both courses were fiery and, at times, highly challenging. Despite the rock-hard conditions, the scoring was nothing short of remarkable.

In keeping with the unpredictable nature of the British summer, rain greeted the players at the start of play at Mendip Spring – the first significant rain for some time and, somewhat ironically, arriving on the very day a local drought was officially announced. The rain was short-lived, however, and the sunshine returned to produce some excellent scoring.

Day One at Mendip Spring saw some exceptional scores, with Cameron Birch and Lewis Hembrey producing a remarkable 50 points. Unfortunately, their score could not count towards the prizes as their cards did not meet the competition's criteria.

There were two scores of 46 points, recorded by last year's winners Michelle and Chris Young, and Mendip Spring's Jeremy Ginn and Tony Wright.

A further three pairs returned 44 points, while another four posted 43 points, highlighting just how competitive the field was. The opening day also produced 17 twos for those who had entered the sweepstake.

Day Two at Wells once again began with rain for the early starters, although it soon cleared to leave a cool day by the standards of the 2026 summer.

Going into the final round, the leaderboard was tightly packed, but it was Ian Burr of Wells and Mark Wintersgill of Mendip who produced the decisive performance.

The pair, who had previously won the Cyder Cup in 2011, followed their opening-round 43 points at Mendip Spring with an impressive 45 points at Wells, giving them a two-day total of 88 points and securing the 2026 title.

The Day One leaders were unable to replicate their outstanding opening-round performances, allowing Burr and Wintersgill to climb to the top of the leaderboard and lift the Cyder Cup once again.

The Visitors' Prize went to Nao Kato of Shirehampton Park and Chris Peacock of Peterborough Milton Golf Club. The pair followed an excellent 43 points at Mendip Spring with 40 points at Wells to finish on 83 points.

The Members' Prize was won by Wells Golf Club's Cathryn and Neil Burrows, who produced remarkable consistency with 43 points on both days, finishing on an impressive 86 points.

There were a further 18 twos recorded at Wells, although one player had not entered the sweepstake, leaving 17 prizes to be awarded. Ian Nicol was particularly successful, recording two Twos.

Two other pairs were also in contention for prizes but, like the pair who scored 50 points on Day One, did not meet the competition committee's criteria for acceptable cards. Both pairs entered knowing they were ineligible for prizes, and the organisers would like to thank them for taking part.

The Cyder Cup is only possible thanks to the efforts of a huge number of people behind the scenes. A massive thank you goes to all the volunteers who gave up their time to help run the event, as well as the catering teams, Pro Shop staff and greenkeeping teams at both clubs.

Their hard work helped make the 2026 Cyder Cup another hugely enjoyable and successful event.