Ferguson takes Assistants title

Joe Ferguson (pictured right) secured a one-shot victory at Cotswold Hills on the way to being crowned the PGA West Region Assistants Champion.

The Celtic Manor assistant owed much of his success to an impressive finish to the first round, where he carded a four-under-par 68, making birdies at the seventh, 11th, 12th and 16th holes.

It was the low round of the tournament, and removed much of the frustration caused earlier in the round when birdies at the second and fifth were immediately cancelled out by bogeys.

He was pressed all the way by Mark Searle (High Post) who had a great chance to draw level at the halfway stage after taking his birdie total to seven with three in succession from the 15th to draw level, but he bogeyed the last.

Both players followed with level par rounds. Ferguson’s topsy-turvy round started with two bogeys and finished with two more at the 15th and 18th sandwiched between four birdies.

Searle, a former South West Counties amateur champion, was more circumspect, making birdies at the third and 13th but suffering a double bogey at the 12th.

Third place was claimed by Antony Nash, currently in his first year of training at St Enodoc, who scored a best-of-the-afternoon 70 to follow an opening 73.

He was the only other player to better par.

New Bath assistant James Hannam and Luke Fraser (Bristol and Clifton) produced their best performances to date to share fourth on one-over 145. They were joined by Richard Woods (Dainton Park) who first came to prominence by finishing fourth in the Bournemouth Festival.