Best man Frayne wins Assistants Sprint
27/05/2014
Adam Frayne won the inaugural Assistants and Under-30 Pros Sprint Order of Merit, supported by Titleist & FootJoy, despite missing the final event because he was acting as best man for a close friend in Italy.
The Yelverton assistant led after four rounds but his lead was vulnerable as he was absent for the final lap at Woodbury Park and left the door open for two other players to replace him at the top. But Cennydd Mills (Pyle and Kenfig) could only share second place while Giuseppe Licata (Bristol Golf Centre) tied for fourth in the last event.
Mills finished second and Licata third followed by Woodbury winner Richard Woods (Dainton Park) and Ross Langdon (South Cerney). The leading five players receive a goods package from Titleist & FootJoy.
Frayne, 33, who has abandoned the expensive life on mini-tours, is in his first year of PGA training. His greatest moment was competing at The Open at Hoylake in 2006. This season he has won twice. He shared top place with Christian Askins (Radyr) in the first outing at Weston-super-Mare and then won outright over the tricky Stranahan course at The Players Club.
Woods made a blistering start at Woodbury and reached the turn in five-under-par after making four successive birdies from the second and another at the ninth. He dropped shots at the 12th and 17th but the birdie at the par five 16th helped him to four-under-par 68 and a one shot win.
Alex Todd, a first-year trainee from Farrington Park, produced his best form of the season to share second spot with Mills. He started with two birdies, then dropped three shots but returned to level with his third birdie at the ninth. He birdied 13, 15 and 17 in a flawless back nine.
Mills made four birdies, including a crucial two at the last, and shed one shot at the eighth in a another consistent round.
Licata, Langdon, Ben Lloyd (Cumberwell Park), Nicky Maddison (Saunton) and Adrian Harris (Broadstone) shared fourth on 70.
