Cameron eyeing first national title in Morocco

Cameron Clark will always be remembered for his integral role in helping Great Britain and Ireland claim historic back-to-back wins in the PGA Cup but there is still something missing on his golfing CV.

That’s winning a PGA national tournament – an omission he will try to rectify in Morocco next week.

The head professional at Moor Hall Golf Club, Sutton Coldfield, and his amateur partner, Paul Brindley, will be looking to end a memorable 2017 season on a high in the SkyCaddie PGA Pro-Captain Challenge final.

Clark, 43, starred as a player in Great Britain and Ireland’s first ever PGA Cup victory in America two years ago.

Back in September he was heavily involved again by helping mastermind another Great Britain and Ireland victory at Foxhills, this time as vice-captain to Albert MacKenzie.

Recalling those memorable days in the early autumn, Clark said: “It was very different to playing but we put a lot of hard work into it.

ABOVE - Cameron Clark (left) pictured with GB & Ireland captain Albert Mackenzie (middle) and fellow vice-captain Martyn Thompson.

“And I think the sense of achievement was every bit as great this time. I’m still buzzing about it and it just made my year.

“The PGA Cup is definitely going to stand right at the top when I look back on my career.

“The experiences and memories I have got from that competition are just fantastic, but I’ve never won a national PGA event so it would be right up there as well.

“To win a national PGA event would be fantastic and a superb end to a great year.

“Playing in any PGA national event is something you want to do well in. It looks great on your CV so I’m proud to get to the final and we’re both looking forward to it.”

The final of this year’s competition, which is supported by Golfplan Insurance, will be staged at Morocco’s Luxurious Mazagan Beach and Golf Resort from November 21-22.

Clark and Brindley, his club captain, know nothing about the venue and have not put too much thought into any extra pre-event practice.

“I think we’re just going to go and perform really well that day as a pair,” Clark added. “We’ll go out nice and relaxed and see what happens. We can both compete with anyone on our day so we’re looking forward to it.

“The course looks amazing and the hotel looks fantastic. Speaking with Paul over the last few weeks, he’s excited about going and hopefully we can play like we did up at Dunham Forest where we qualified for the final.

“At the beginning of December I will have been at Moor Hall for 14 years and I love this golf club.

“Anything we do as a club is always very much appreciated by the members. If you’re performing on the national stage when you’re head pro at a club, I think it’s something everyone can be very proud of.”

Success in Morocco would also cap off a memorable 2017 for Brindley as he comes to the end of his tenure as club captain.

Brindley, 60, travelled down to Foxhills to cheer his partner’s team onto a famous PGA Cup victory and admits winning in the Pro-Captain would be the best way to sign off.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” revealed 14-handicapper Brindley. “If we do well then we do well, but it’s just an absolute delight to be going and now we want to try and do well in it.

“I’ll be very proud. I’ve had a lovely year as captain. The members were very kind and considerate towards me and I’ll be very proud and I’m delighted to be going.

“It’s towards the end of my captain’s year as well and, given what’s been going on with Cameron with the PGA Cup, it’s a great ending to it.”

Clark and Brindley booked their place in Morocco after winning a qualifier at Dunham Forest Golf Club, Cheshire, in August by just one shot.

And Brindley (pictured right) knows if his partner plays the same way as he did then, they will have every chance of bringing the PGA Pro-Captain trophy back to Moor Hall.

He added: “All the pros are good players but Cameron was exceptional. I think he had nine birdies and one bogey. I played pretty well up until the 16^th until I lost it and Cameron held it together right at the end.

“Cameron’s been busy this year but he’s a good club pro. We’ve played quite a few so-called ‘friendlies’ against other members so we’ve managed to get quite a bit in and we’ve had a good working and friendly relationship as the year’s gone on.”