Cuckfield duo eye Gleneagles glory

Haywards Heath amateur Mark Weller is set to tee up alongside Cuckfield Golf Club PGA Professional Robert Dickman in the Lombard Trophy final at Gleneagles.

The duo will play in the £43,600 showpiece event over the resort’s King’s Course on September 2-3, just three weeks before the Ryder Cup visits the same venue.

The timing of both events means that Weller (left) and Dickman (right) will be playing in the shadows of the towering Ryder Cup grandstands, as the venue has already been prepared with infrastructure in place ready for the biennial matchplay showpiece.

Weller, a self-employed electrician who plays off a handicap of 14, and Dickman secured their place at Gleneagles following a win on countback in the regional final at Kingswood.

As they were among the early starters they were forced to endure a lengthy wait to see if anyone could beat their seven-under-par round of 65.

But they will now join 15 other teams in the grand final, from a total of more than 700 who played across the regional events.

Dickman’s appearance will mark the first time he has played in the tournament since it returned in the mid-nineties following a five-year break.

Speaking after the regional final at Kingswood he said: "It's a bit of a fairytale story in more ways than one." 

"This is the first time I've tried to qualify again for about 11 or 12 years.

“It'll be fantastic to play at Gleneagles, I've only ever been there on holiday with the family before."