Cort ready for Powerade hat-trick bid

Matthew Cort will claim a remarkable hat-trick of victories if he can emerge victorious from this year’s Powerade PGA Assistants' Championship.

Leicestershire-based Cort, of Rothley Park Golf Club, has topped the leaderboard for the past two years, and he will bid to make it a 100 per cent record before he completes the final year of his training.

But he knows there will be plenty of players who can stop him winning again, including first year PGA Assistants who can come from nowhere to challenge the pacesetters.

And with a £32,500 prize fund up for grabs for the leaders, newcomers will need no motivation to challenge for the top honours

The final, supported by FootJoy, will be held on August 7-9 at Coventry Golf Club.

“It would be great to win it again, but a lot of things can come into play,” said Cort.

“I think there’ll be some big challenges once more from some of the players who did well last year.

“But there’s always the unknown factor, someone in their first year could come along and win it.”

Cort has ambitions to get back on to the European Tour now that he has the security of the PGA qualification to fall back on.

“I’m 38 now and a lot of the guys I was on the Tour with before are still there - I’d like to have another go at it,” he added.

“Now I have the PGA qualification behind me and that gives me more of a platform.

“I’ve found it really useful, I’m not much of a studier but now that I have passed the exams I have something to fall back on

“I’m already starting to do a bit of coaching, but I have an eye on going to European Tour School again - I’ve pencilled my name in for September.

“I got into limbo when I did it before, you end up on the mini-tours and that can be expensive.”

Cort’s route to PGA qualification saw him cover all aspects of working in the golf industry including business and marketing, equipment technology and repairs, rules and tournament organisation, sports science, sports psychology and playing.

But it is the latter that will occupy his thoughts as he strives to go out with a bang and claim one final victory in the event before he become ineligible.

“This is one last go at it for me and I want to do well.

“I’ve been playing well this year though, so I hope my form will be good enough.”

Other Midlands players taking part at Coventry include John Bandurak (Great Barr); Frederick Jewsbury (Stratford on Avon); Liam James (Robert Rock Golf Academy); Sam Stuart (Walmley); Ryan Corbett (Newcastle Under Lyme).