Andrew marches on to victory

Planes departing and arriving at Bristol International Airport adjoining the course failed to unnerve Gloucester and Somerset PGA chairman Andrew March in the medal at Tall Pines.

The Brean club professional not only produced his best performance of the year, his four-under-par 66 was his first bogey-free competitive round since his amateur days.

He had previously enjoyed success at the course and this time he pipped his vice chairman Ed Goodwin (Cirencester) by one stroke to claim his second win of the winter.

After a chilly start the sun broke through and March set the benchmark with four birdies at the fifth, 14th, 16th and 17th and he never missed a green in regulation by any more than a couple of feet. His belly putter did the rest as he negotiated some tricky pin positions.

Goodwin knows he must produce some superb golf if he is going to reel in Giuseppe Licata’s massive lead at the top of the Total Triumph Order of Merit with just four events remaining.

He made birdies at the first, third and fifth, adding others at the 14th, 16th and 17th to claim the birdie sweep and also the over 40’s award. As usual he dropped shots and he made a marginal points gain on Bristol Golf Centre’s Licata who shared third.

Nigel Warburton (Knowle) also returned 69 for his best result in what has been a stop start season and boosted his chances of making the line-up for next season’s opening matchplay event.

This will now be known as the Marston’s Matchplay as Marston’s Brewery have become title sponsors for the annual event. The top 16 Gloucester and Somerset PGA players feature in the two-day event in September at Chipping Sodbury where the championship has been held for two years.

The deal was struck through the club’s association with Marston’s. The brewery already supplies many golf clubs across the region and also sponsors the West Region PGA Championship.

March said: “We are very grateful for Marston’s for supporting an event that the players cherish. The financial boost from Marston’s now gives the matchplay greater importance than ever.”