Casey the ace in Three Rivers triumph

16/07/2024

Harry Casey confirmed his status as a star of the East with his first Order of Merit victory.

The in-form Shire London professional extended his golden July by clinching a smooth success at Three Rivers Golf and Country Club.

It was a third triumph in seven days for Casey, who also clinched top spot in the pro-am that ran parallel with the second day of the Order of Merit tournament at the Essex venue.

He fired rounds of 69 and 66 to end up at nine-under-par, three shots clear of joint runners-up Sam Forgan and Mark Talbott.

Forgan led by a stroke at the end of the opening day before the leading 35 players and ties returned for a shotgun start.

Casey began quietly enough, opening up with a couple of pars after getting underway from the 17th tee,

His initial gain arrived at the first – his third hole – before he traded another birdie for a bogey at the back-to-back par-5s on the front nine.

But it was from the par-4 seventh hole that Casey began to make a surge for the winner’s circle. He recorded five birdies in eight holes, including a hat-trick of gains from 10 through 12.

Casey coolly closed out with a couple of pars to break through in Order of Merit company.

He said: “It was nice to get the win – really pleasing. It feels really good because I’ve won a number of pro-ams, but never quite won an Order of Merit. It was definitely something that I aimed to do at the start of the year. so I’m pleased to win this one.”

It follows on from victories earlier this month in pro-am company at South Herts and King’s Lynn.

The hot streak comes as a reward for the 31-year-old’s close-season time spent grooving his putting.

Casey added: “There’s not much change in the swing but the big difference has come on the greens. I worked over the winter on the putting and I’ve seen improvement on it so far compared to previous years. I’d say the work’s paying off. I’m holing out a lot better inside eight to 10 feet – converting those chances and saving the pars, it makes a huge difference.”

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