Aubrey makes move on A&T Order of Merit
22/04/2014
Chris Aubrey (Weybrook Park) opened his season in spectacular style, winning the Titleist & FootJoy Assistants and Trainees BetterBall Pro-Am with a two-under-par round of 70 around Farnham GC.
As the leading assistant, Aubrey also picked up a ball, glove and shoe contract supplied by Titleist and FootJoy.
Nudged into second place on one-under were Michael Hart (Nevill) and David Callaway (Foxhills), one of the contenders in the 2013 Titleist PGA Play Offs. While Aubrey made three birdies and one bogey for what he called ‘a pretty solid round’, the rounds of the runners-up were a lot more dramatic.
Hart made five birdies, four of them on the back nine but four bogeys spoiled the card. Callaway was three-over par at the turn, and then produced four birdies on the back-nine to push Aubrey all the way to the finishing line. Tandridge’s Mark Hillson was the overall victor in the Titleist & FootJoy PGA South 2013-2014 Winter Series Order of Merit and received a Custom Fit Titleist Driver, a Custom Pair of FootJoy MyJoy Golf Shoes and a £250 cash bonus from the sponsor.
The event was not only the last in the Winter Series but the first in the 2014 Assistants and Trainees Order of Merit, so Aubrey’s victory puts him in pole position.
He explained: “Winning here has put me in great shape to challenge for the A&T Order of Merit title, so I’ll be focusing on that for 2014.
“The weather was ideal, the course was in great shape, and I really enjoyed myself today. I played really solid golf from tee to green, holed a few putts and made two good par-saves on the 15th and 17th to keep things going.” The one at the 17th included chipping out from a bunker and then planting a 170 yard six iron to six feet and holing the putt.
As a former student of The Golf College, Aubrey could be hot favourite for the next event in the 2014 A&T Order of Merit, The Golf College Challenge at Lindfield GC, which is now on Thursday 19 June. The other two events in the OOM are the A&T Match Play and the Assistants & Trainees Championship at Drift GC in September.
The PGA in England (South) assistants can still claim their place in the Championship at the second and final pre-qualifying event at Sittingbourne & Milton Regis GC on Tuesday 6 May.
