Dilemma for triumphant Bond

Liam Bond shot an astonishing seven-under-par second round 63 in gale-force winds and heavy showers climbing 14 places to win the Total Triumph Classic with a 36-hole six-under 134 at Oake Manor – and then faced a personal dilemma.

Should he attend his daughter Daisy’s eighth birthday party at their Chepstow home or face the wrath of the PGA, the sponsor and a hefty fine by missing the presentation ceremony?

The 42-year-old Lancastrian based at Marriott St Pierre stayed and missed the party and promised Daisy a better-than-expected present from his winner’s cheque of £1,700.

Overnight leaders Stuart Little (Minchinhampton) and Sion Bebb (Vale Hotel) suffered in the conditions. Little dropped one shot but held on to second place while Bebb faltered with a six-over 76 to slip to 11^th.  To put Bond’s feat into context only Lee Thompson (Dudsbury) managed to equal par with six players carding 71.

Bond, who is now considering his future after losing his European Tour card at the end of 2001 and failing to regain it at last year’s Tour School, resumes his playing career next week at the Aegean Airline Pro-Am in Greece. He finished second last year in Cyprus.

“This was my best round of the year and was among the best I have played in a howling wind,” he said.

“I hit it close and took some chances. I had 273 yards to the second hole and hit my 3-wood to six feet for an eagle. I hit the same club 240-yards into the wind at the 17^th and again finished six feet away for another eagle before finishing with my fifth birdie.”

He also dropped two shots, at the eighth when he drove behind a tree and at the 16^th when the wind swept an eight-iron tee-shot into the water.

Little battled well and is showing the kind of form that he hopes will earn his place again in the PGA Cup against the United States this year.

He was tied third in last year’s Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship and knows a sixth place or better this year will bring automatic selection.

He said: “I played OK this week and didn’t make a lot of mistakes but this proved to be a tricky course when the wind blew this hard.”

Graham Howell (Ferndown Forest) claimed third, following a three-under opener with a one-over 71.

He said: “It was difficult keeping the ball in play in the high winds. I was five-under on the 12^th and with the par five 17^th coming up I had visions of tying for the lead. But then a hailstorm struck and I made two three putts that cost me the chance.”

Plus two handicap Somerset county amateur Matt Kippen (Enmore Park) won the amateur prize with a level par round of 70 for 35 points. He beat Chris Brown (Royal North Devon) and Brian Southward (Oake Manor) on countback.