Copthorne honours shared

Martin Woodbridge (pictured above from Bearwood Lakes) and Ian Golding (Banstead Downs) both shot two-under-par rounds of 70 to tie for victory in the Copthorne Pro-Am, collecting £700 each for their valiant efforts on one of the hottest days this year.

With temperatures soaring to the high 80s and the breeze swirling around the tree lined course, maintaining focus and keeping one’s cool was demanding, yet both players produced the goods.

Another feature that impressed all those who played there was the change to two holes, enabling Copthorne to return to its old layout and with a brand new 17^th hole and the now second turned into a par five. Golding was particularly impressed with the changes, and made a point of congratulating the club in his speech.

Golding (below) carded five birdies and three bogeys, with his performance peaking with five birdies in nine holes from the fifth onwards, spoiled only by two dropped shots on the trot at the 14^th and 15^th.

“I’m not playing very often now, but I’ve enjoyed playing in this event for the last three years so I’m delighted to have claimed a victory along with Martin,” said Golding.

“I was playing pretty well, but three-putted a couple of times, one of which should have been two putts for another birdie at the par five eighth!

"I didn’t get up and down at the 15^th after missing the green, but still managed to finish in front, and to do that in a strong field is very satisfying. I’m looking forward to next week and the PGA Surrey Open** at Kingswood.”

Woodbridge on the other hand was having a ding dong round, making an eagle at the second but following it with a bogey at the next hole, then another at the fifth to go back to even par. He birdied the sixth and then the eighth to reach two-under again, but dropped another shot at the ninth to be one-under at the turn.

He made a birdie three at the 12^th and then another eagle at the 13^th to get to four-under-par and in sight of a place at the top of the leaderboard, but he then stumbled with two more bogeys at the 15^th and 16^th to drop back to two-under, and tie with Golding.