Brothers in arms set for Powerade pow-wow

Sibling rivalry will spur on Jack Bado in the forthcoming qualifier for the Powerade PGA Assistants’ Championship at Laleham Golf Club.

The 24 year old, and his younger brother William, will be among the field aiming to reach the £32,500 championship final which is supported by FootJoy and will be staged later in the summer at Coventry Golf Club.

And Jack, who is a coach at the Golf College in Sussex, admits his Surrey-based 19 year old brother’s success in winning a tournament just weeks after turning pro has given him an incentive to do well on May 12 at Laleham.

“He only turned pro in September and won in his second outing as a professional at North Foreland so he’s doing really well,” said Jack.

“His success has definitely spurred me on and given me a kick up the backside to get out there and practice.”

Jack has passed on some of his golfing skills to his younger brother and now coaches students at the Golf College alongside PGA Master Professional Denis Pugh and Paul Lyons.

Working alongside established names such as Pugh, a respected European Tour coach and Sky Sports golf pundit, has been a huge boost for Jack.

“I’ve learned such a lot from Denis and the others and while over the next few years I definitely see myself playing more coaching is also something I really enjoy.”

William is based at Farleigh Golf Club in Surrey and has completed the first of his three year foundation degree progamme in professional golf studies which covers a range of subjects including equipment, sports science, coaching, retail, business and marketing and sports psychology.

“There is a lot more work than I imagined but it’s been interesting and learning things like the ball flight laws has not only helped in my coaching but my own game too,” he said.

“With the exams over I can focus more on playing now and long term my aim is to play on the PGA Europro Tour but I need to improve.

“It was great to win in my second tournament but it hasn’t been too great since then so hopefully I can get back to some kind of form.

“Both Jack and I are supportive of each other and hopefully we can both make it through at Laleham.”

For Jack, it will be last attempt to qualify for the prestigious championship which predates the Masters and was first contested in 1930.

“I missed out on a play-off by one stroke in my first year and haven’t been really close since so I would love to reach the final,” added Jack.

Ahead of the event Luke Young, national and key account manager for Coca-Cola Enterprises, whose products include Powerade, said: “We are delighted to once again support this prestigious tournament which will culminate with a final at Coventry Golf Club in June.

“It is an event which has a long history of showcasing outstanding golf from some of the country’s best young players, and I look forward to watching what will undoubtedly be another exciting Championship this year.”

Other players competing in the south regional qualifier include: Tom Reid (Wentworth), host assistant Jake Canning (Laleham), Richard Talboys (Burford), Lawrence Day (Wisley), Adam Clough (West Kent) and Liza Nikulina (Drift).