17/05/2016
In-form European Tour player David Dixon will be the man to watch in the Total Triumph Classic at Oake Manor, near Taunton, next week.
After making the cut in his last four Tour events in Mauritius, Morocco, China and Spain, the 39-year-old globe-trotter starts as favourite in the opening PGA West Order of Merit tournament of the season at the course 20 miles from his Enmore Park base on Tuesday and Wednesday May 24-25.
His ranking is not high enough to qualify for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth next week so his attempt to consolidate his 112th ranking on the Race to Dubai after winning almost €82,000 Euros so far comes later.
But he has committed himself to the region since losing the Tour card he regained in December and he has won four OOM tournaments. Last year he finished in a tie for third at Oake Manor on the way to claiming sixth place in the OOM. He also returned to win the club’s pro-am.
He faces stiff opposition from a field which includes former Ryder Cup player Phillip Price. The Welshman is playing regularly in the region before his attempt to qualify for the Champions Tour in America next year. He won the West of England Masters at Royal North Devon in the final OOM event last season.
Jon Bevan, captain of the winning PGA Cup team in California last year, is back in the West at Sherborne and has fond memories of Oake Manor as the winner in 2010.
Chris Gill (Newquay), the first champion eight years ago, Liam Bond (St Pierre), Barry Austin (Downes Crediton), Matt Dearden (Cardiff) and defending champion Paul Hendriksen (Ivybridge) are also in the field.
Gloucestershire trio Ross Langdon (Brickhampton Court), Ed Goodwin (Cirencester) and Giuseppe Licata (Chipping Sodbury) have enjoyed excellent winter results. Devon’s David Sheppard, former Moor Park professional Lawrence Farmer, now living in Somerset, and recently retired Ron Macrow (Cannington) return to OOM action. European Tour winners Gary Emerson (Remedy Oak) and Andrew Sherborne (Trevose) bring years of experience.