Captain Bradley’s ready for a slice of the action

Mark Bradley can't wait to get back into the swing of things after missing most of last season due to a foot injury.

And as he takes up his position as captain of the PGA in Lancashire, he plans to play in as many county and regional events as his time will allow.

The 40-year-old Chorley professional, who had spells at Fleetwood, Heysham and Ingol before arriving at the Hall o'th Hill club in 2001, said: "I broke a metatarsal bone which ruled me out of all but a handful of competitions but I'm fully fit again."

Bradley's most memorable performance was winning the PGA North Region Championship at Northumberland club Burgham Park in 2006 - emulating former Chorley pro Paul Wesselingh who achieved the same feat 12 years earlier.

He's also broken three course records, which included a nine-under-par score at Blackpool resort Herons' Reach.

But his immediate target is to clear the region's tour school hurdle at Bolton, which will qualify him to play in the Order of Merit tournaments, and he's also pledged to give his full support to county events.

"We have a good calendar put together by our new secretary Andy Duncan and hopefully it will get more of our members playing, especially in the fourballs," he added.

The county season tees off at Fleetwood on April 7 with the first in a series of six monthly Players' Tour competitions.

The 16-strong schedule also features several pro-ams, which include the long-running Bill Beaumont Classic at Hillside on July 10, and the matchplay and strokeplay championships.

Meanwhile, many professionals and club representatives will be attending the launch of the Lancashire County Golf Partnership, at Bolton Old Links on February 27, to hear about the various initiatives aimed at attracting more people to the game.