Bangerter’s bang on target again

Luke Bangerter (Tandridge) mastered a wind-blown Betchworth Park GC to win their Pro-Am with a two-under-par round of 67.

Bangerter’s mastery of the conditions meant he was a shot clear of the nearest challenger, Titleist PGA Plays-Off champion Richard Wallis (Walmer & Kingsdown), who carded a one-under-par 68.

They were the only two players to break par around the challenging and tight Colt-designed layout. Bangerter also collected the biggest Pro-Am cheque of the season so far, a cool £1,250, while Tim Spence (The Golf College) made everyone’s day with a hole-in-one.

Bangerter’s form in 2013 has been good, with a win in the USA at the four-day Sawgrass Pro-Am, and in the frame for the regional events, so with this win under his belt he’s looking forward to the remaining Pro-Ams, the Virgin Atlantic PGA South Order of Merit tournaments, and some PGA Europro events as well. “I’m achieving the sort of consistency I need,” he said, “scoring well and creating opportunities.”

Bringing his PGA Europro experience to bear, Bangerter dropped just two shots offset by four birdies as he plotted his way around, explaining: “I played solid all the way round. I’ve never played Betchworth Park before, but I was with three members who told me what to look out for. I think it was easier not knowing where all the trouble was, or how tight it actually was!”

His first hole resulted in a bogey after a three iron narrowly missed the green, but thereafter Bangerter found the target while other players struggled with the wind. Out in one-under, he birdied two more before dropping a shot at the long 16^th by missing a short putt. Bangerter felt he coped well with Betchworth Park’s very sloping greens, missing just a couple of shortish putts on his way to his 67.

“The course condition was terrific,” he said, “and the rain we had in the morning probably helped slow the pace down to fairly quick instead of really quick. There weren’t any obvious birdie opportunities, and the par fives while downwind had very well defended greens.”

He continued, “You could really see the Colt influence as well, with bunkers and hazards positioned to trick the eye and your perception of distance, something you see around Tandridge as well.”

Summing up his thoughts about the event, Bangerter said: “It was a very well organised day, with members doing ball spotting and marshalling. The course was in great condition, and everyone including the team from The PGA put in their maximum effort and made it a day of which the club can be really proud.”