Ablett aces West Hill
27/06/2013
James Ablett (Lee-on-the-Solent) shot a two-under-par 67 to win the West Hill Pro-Am by a stroke, but he needed a hole-in-one to lay his hands on the title.
On a fast running and windy day Ablett produced the best round of the 53 PGA Professionals, dropping just the one shot at the 16th courtesy of a three putt.
He pushed the 68s of Paul Nessling (Cooden Beach) and Gareth Edwards (Leaderboard Golf Centre) into second place to claim one of the biggest club pro-am cheques of the season - £1,500.
Ablett was the first to admit his form to date has not been quite there, as he commented: “It’s been a quiet start to 2013. Not horrendous, but ‘not quite’ and it just hasn’t really come together until today. I played nicely and minimised the errors, but I still thought someone would match or improve on my score.”
Starting with a smooth run of pars, Ablett made a birdie four at the fifth, and then continued his par run for another seven holes until the 13th.
“I got a good read from the two amateur partners who went before me. I hit a knocked down seven iron, aiming to pitch short to the downhill green which funnelled slightly towards the flag. It wasn’t until we got to the green that we could see my ball was resting against the flag.”
He continued: “West Hill was in great condition, the greens firm and fast with pin positions that meant you had to try to keep the ball below the flag or risk three putting. Being heather the rough isn’t exactly a spa treatment either, and with a strong gusting breeze as well West Hill was a real test.”
Ablett also heaped praise on Guy Shoesmith who is regional captain and chairman of The PGA in Surrey Chairman.
“Guy did a fantastic job of organising the day and attracting 53 teams. With all Guy’s input, and the PGA staff who spent a very long day doing all the scoring, to the immaculate service we all enjoyed in the clubhouse, it was a really top notch event.
“Winning this event was just what I needed, and there’s plenty left in the tank to have a crack at the remaining Pro-Ams and Virgin Atlantic Order of Merit events.”
