Andy makes it a family affair as he secures place in Spain Final

Otley Golf Club captain Andy Harm will join son Alex in showing his golf skills in Spain this Autumn.

Harm and PGA Professional Steven Tomkinson came out as winners in a five-way tie for the top at the SkyCaddie PGA Pro-Captain Challenge North B qualifier held at Headingley Golf Club.

They booked a trip to the grand final in Spain after totalling 39 points after being early starters in windy conditions at the Leeds venue.

That tally was matched by four other teams. But Otley won on countback ahead of Graeme Bell and Ken Lupton, of Eaglescliffe Golf Club in Stockton on Tees; John Oates and Ashley Wood, of Sheffield’s Hallowes Golf Club; Simon Appleton and Steve Buxton, of Romanby Golf Club in Northallerton; and Scott Barber and David Jay from Waterton Park Golf Club in Wakefield.

But Tomkinson and Harm won the event on countback and they will now play in the £22,000 final, in association with Golfplan, which takes place between November 6-7 at Arabella Golf Mallorca.

And Harm explained that two members of his family now have upcoming diary dates abroad to look forward to.

“My son 17-year-old son Alex is playing in the Junior European Open in Spain in November as well,” said the Otley captain who has been a member of the club for the last 14 years.

“I shall be going out to the Pro-Captain Challenge Final, coming back, then going back out to Spain with him at the end of November.

“Alex is the North ambassador for the Junior European Open this year, he’s done really well. It’s fantastic that we’ve both got these events on the calendar now and it’s a great end to my year as captain.

“All three of my sons play golf and Alex was junior captain at Otley last year.”

The 10-handicapper admitted it had been difficult going for all the players at Headingley.

“I’ve was pleasantly surprised to win, we were first to tee off at 7.30am in a howling gale, and the conditions were tough, you can tell by the scores, it’s hard to explain how difficult it was, but the course was in great condition,” explained 55-year-old Harm, who runs a construction firm.

“We didn’t think 39 points was going to be enough but I sat at home watching the live leaderboard and when I came back I realised we were in pole position. We held on to the lead from start to finish which was great for us.”

Tomkinson made to the final of this competition 13 years ago and is looking forward to making his return.

“Never in a month of Sundays did we think we’d hold on to the lead, it was so windy, brutal - we thought we’d drawn the worst of the conditions, but we were delighted to win it on countback,” said the Otley Professional.

“I have played in this final before, when it was in Bahrain. But this is the first time I’ve done anything like this since.”

SkyCaddie PGA Pro-Captain Challenge - North B Qualifier, Tuesday, September 18, 2018, Headingley Golf Club

POS       SCORE       PRO/CAPTAIN                          REPRESENTING
Q1         39pts          Steven Tomkinson/Andy Harm    Otley Golf Club
2           39pts          Graeme Bell/Ken Lupton             Eaglescliffe Golf Club
                               John Oates/Ashley Wood            Hallowes Golf Club
                               Simon Appleton/Steve Buxton     Romanby Golf & Country
                               Scott Barber/David Jay               Waterton Park

Full results from the event at Headingley can be found by clicking here.

For further information on the Skycaddie Pro Captain Challenge, click here.