County stars ready for historic battle

Fifteen of England and Wales’ top PGA Professionals are hoping to make history as they prepare to play for their counties later this month.

The SkyCaddie PGA England & Wales Inter-County Championship will pit five teams of three against each other over The Belfry’s PGA National course on 14-15 October.

The winners will claim the lion’s share of the £10,000 prize fund, and will see their home county become the first name etched onto the new trophy.

Fred Jewsbury will be among those hoping to win the inaugural competition, teaming up with Warwickshire peers Jak Hamblett, buoyed by his recent Tour Championship victory, and Darren Murphy.

It will be no easy feat. The Suffolk team of Lawrence Dodd, Kevin Earp and Peter Latimer looked particularly strong as they emerged from a tricky east regional qualifier with an impressive 10-stroke win.

Then there are the trios from Surrey, South Wales and Lancashire who will each be equally determined to take their own piece of PGA history.

Lancashire features past PGA Cup player and north Order of Merit winner David Shacklady (Mossock Hall), while European Tour regular Sion Bebb (The Vale) is representing South Wales

But Stratford-on-Avon man Jewsbury is feeling confident, and he is looking forward to the challenge of representing Warwickshire at the inaugural event.

“It’s going to be great,” he enthused, “it will be nice to play at The Belfry, and I reckon the course will be a real test at that time of year.

“There is always a great pride when you are asked to represent your county. I played for Warwickshire as an amateur and I often found that you try even harder because you don’t want to let your teammates down.”

Jewsbury’s career in golf seemed inevitable from an early age. The sport has been in the family’s DNA for four generations, and his great grandfather was teeing off before the outbreak of the First World War.

"At first I rebelled against it because in my family it was all golf, golf, golf,” he explained. “But I soon began to take it more seriously.

“My cousin played on the European Tour, and seeing him compete at that level gave me the hunger to make a career in the sport myself.

His first steps into golf came at his grandfather’s home-made driving range, the same proving ground that had given his cousin the platform to develop the skills he needed to make it to the sport’s highest level.

“I used to practice with my granddad a lot,” he said. “He was a great influence for me when I started playing the sport.

“He was always there for advice while I was learning about the game, and of course my cousin and dad helped me a lot as well.

"I’m really pleased I did come down this route. I love the job I have now, and I’m currently working towards my PGA qualification.

“I hope that I can keep improving. My immediate goal now is to pass all of my PGA exams, and in the long term I’d love to be playing on the European Tour.”

The full list of teams for the SkyCaddie PGA England and Wales Inter-County Championship is: Lancashire – David Shacklady (Mossock Hall), Barry Taylor (Houghwood), Jeff Mathews (Oak Royal); South Wales – Joe Ferguson (Celtic Manor), Richard Brookman (Creigiau), Sion Bebb (The Vale); Suffolk – Lawrence Dodd (Bury Golf Range), Kevin Earp (Bury Golf Range), Peter Latimer (Felixstowe Ferry); Surrey – David Callaway (Milford), Nico Els (Clandon Regis), Alan Lovelace (Merrist Wood); Warwickshire – Darren Murphy (Stonebridge), Jak Hamblett (Handsworth), Fred Jewsbury (Stratford on Avon).