Birthday boy shares win at Weston-super-Mare

Toby Hunt celebrated his 23^rd birthday at the top of the leaderboard at the opening Titleist & Footjoy Assistant Sprint Series at Weston-super-Mare.

But the St Mellons player, the PGA in England and Wales (South West) Assistants’ champion for the past two years, was joined on three-under-par 67 by two fellow Welshmen in a triple tie in a standard links breeze at the North Somerset course. Former EuroPro Tour players Alun Lynch and Oliver Baker featured in a West event for the first time.

Lynch, who previously represented Clyne Golf Club, also worked at Morriston Golf Club and Machynys before joining The Gower Golf Club this month.

Baker, now head of junior coaching at Ridgeway Golf Club, Caerphilly, won the Welsh Boys Championship in 2008.

Hunt completed the front nine in three-under 32 with birdies at the first, second and eighth. Further gains at the 14^th and 17^th were negated by bogeys at the 11^th and 16^th.

He was joined at the top by Baker who carded four successive birdies from the sixth and two more at the 11^th and 15^th. Lynch started with ten successive pars before dropping a shot at the par-three 11^th. Then a sensational finish produced three birdies from the 13^th and an eagle at the 17^th.

Three fancied players, last year’s winner Ashley Mansell (Clevedon), Giuseppe Licata (Chipping Sodbury), Ross Langdon (Brickhampton Court), James Ruth (China Fleet) and promising newcomer Tom Hanson (Tiverton), shared fourth on 68.

Home assistant Daniel Toogood looked the probable winner with eagles at the eighth and 13^th but he missed several short range putts and took two to get out from a greenside bunker at the last for a disastrous double bogey six.

Tim Baker (Celtic Manor) and Jordan Arnold (Minehead) both dropped shots on the last and also shared ninth with a 69.