Class Shows at The Addington

Virgin Atlantic Little Red PGA South Order of Merit contenders Benn Barham (PGolf Coaching@Pedham) and Richard Wallis (North Foreland) shared the honours with PGA Midlands raider Andrew Cheese (Sutton Coldfield), shooting one-under-par 68s to tie The Addington Pro-Am supported by Coors.

The only players to break par, Abercrombie’s masterpiece showed its calibre once again despite being 1,000 yards short of what is widely thought to be championship length.

Each player took home cheques for £766, edging out Daniel Young’s (Woldingham) even par round into the runner up spot for £450. True to form, all three went about their rounds in very different ways, with Barham coming closest to snatching the top prize for himself.

Four-time PGA South Order of Merit winner Wallis (above), with four victories this season, was two-over-par at the turn after a double bogey on the eighth, but a birdie two at the 11th inspired him to make another at the following hole, and while he then went bogey, birdie, bogey, Wallis made a terrific eagle at the 16th to get back to one-under-par. Two cool pars saw him finish on 68.

Cheese started immaculately with a two at the first, only to give it back and more with bogeys at third, fifth and eighth to stand at two-over-par at the turn.

He then turned things around with birdies at the 10th, 12th and 14th, and while dropping one more shot at the 15th to go back to level par, he found one more birdie at the par five 16th and held on through the last two holes for his 68.

Five time winner and current leader of the Virgin Atlantic Little Red PGA South Order of Merit**, Barham was on one-over-par at the turn. He then found inspiration at the 12th, making a birdie there and another at what many consider one of the world’s best short holes, the 229 yard 13th.

Now one-under-par, Barham then made another two birdies at the 15th and 16th to get to three-under and be in pole position, only to make a double bogey six up the final hole to tie with Wallis and Cheese.

As he commented: “The Addington once again proved a great venue for a Pro-Am and a challenge of a different kind for the region’s top players. I would have loved to have parred the last hole and take the win for myself, but just as I thought I’d done all the hard work, the course showed it hadn’t finished with me!”

Wallis was pleased to be back in form, saying, “This season’s proving a lot tougher than the previous four in terms of finding some consistent winning form, but I’m working hard and there’s still time to make one of those three places in the Titleist PGA Play-Offs.”