A Worcester golf pro who thought his best playing days were behind him is aiming to add a silver-lining to his year as he competes in the Virgin Atlantic PGA National Pro-Am Championship.
Graham Farr, head professional at Worcester G&CC, will team up with amateur Don Hooper between December 6-10 for the grand final.
This year's event is being staged for the third successive year at the Sirene Golf & Beach Resort in Antalya, with the 36-hole tournament played over the PGA Sultan Course at Antalya Golf Club.
This will be Farr's third attempt to lift the title and it comes 20 years after his last try having drastically scaled down the amount of tournaments he plays in.
"I play two or three times a year now but I used to play a bit back in the 80s and 90s and qualifying for this event back then was an amazing experience," he said.
"It was sponsored by Hennessy back in 1988 and they took all of us out to the Bahamas, covering all our expenses. The following year, having qualified again, it was off to Sardinia and another great week.
"I have to be honest and I don't remember too much about the golf but I'm sure I finished fifth in my second appearance."
Farr and four-handicapper Hooper - the lowest handicapper in the field, qualified at Little Aston on a countback after a round of 65. They will be one of 16 teams from Great Britain and Ireland competing for the title along with a share of the £30,000 professional prize fund.
This is the 25th staging of the final, which is being sponsored for the first time by Virgin Atlantic, which is also celebrating its silver jubilee and is a keen supporter of golf.
"Virgin Atlantic is very happy to be working closely with the PGA to explore ways of building customer commitment through value, quality service and memorable experiences," said Paul Wait, General Manager Sales, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.
"This is our first year of association and our aim is to continue to have golfers and all those in the business think of Virgin Atlantic as their preferred airline for long haul golf destinations. It's one of the reasons why we let golfers carry their clubs for free!
"Our association with the business of golf has many synergies- we attract people from all walks of life, we combine business with pleasure, we provide a variety of wonderful destinations and we both have customers who get hooked and relentlessly come back for more."
03 December, 2009