Bond on the brink at Woodbury

Liam Bond (Marriott St Pierre) goes into the final Race to Woodbury Park tournament with a comfortable lead in a bid to claim one of the three Titleist PGA Play-Off places available.

After winning the first three tournaments he entered and finishing second in the Marston’s Beer Company PGA Championship at Saunton he is 80 points clear of the consistent Stuart Little (Minchinhampton New) who also seems a certain qualifier.

Richard Dinsdale (Parc Golf Academy) and Sion Bebb (Vale Hotel), who are both competing in this week’s ISPS Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor, appear to be contesting the third place. Paul Hendriksen (Dinnaton) and Lee Thompson (Dudsbury), separated by just one point in fifth and sixth, finished second and third last year.

But they will require an extraordinary result from the 36-hole Race to Woodbury Park tournament to qualify for the trip to Turkey and the chance to play in selected European and Challenge Tour events next year.

The six players form the final two groups in the opening round that features the leading 45 professionals and six sponsor’s invitations on Wednesday that follows a special pro-am.

There will be a new champion this year as Jon Bevan has left Wessex Golf Centre to join Rhos-on-Sea in North Wales. Matthew Dearden (Llantrisant and Pontyclun) will be bidding to add to his success in the inaugural event in 2011.