Fieldsend’s birdie bonanza sets the pace at Morley Hayes

13/10/2020

Matt Fieldsend set a scorching pace to lead the region’s final Order of Merit event of the season – the Morley Hayes Championship – by three shots at its halfway stage.

Fieldsend, the 2017 PGA Assistants’ Championship winner who represents Drayton Park Golf Club, posted a bogey-free birdie-laden round of 63 on the Derbyshire course.

A birdie on the par-four 379-yard first gave a hint of what was to follow – the 27-year-old’s negotiation of holes three, four, five and six confirmed it.

He recorded four successive birdies to reach the turn in five-under and followed up with four more on the back nine to go into the final round well-placed to claim the £780 first prize.

Rushcliffe Golf Club’s Ben Hall, who lies second after a six-under-par round of 66, looked set to emulate Fieldsend after the front nine.

Having eagled the par-five third and recorded birdies at the first, seventh and eighth holes, he was also on five-under at the turn. Three more birdies followed but bogeys at 12 and 14 checked his progress.

He lies a shot clear of Simon Lilly who had an even more impressive front nine. The pro from De Vere Staverton Estate upstaged both Fieldsend and Hall, reaching the turn in six-under.

He was unable to maintain the momentum, however. He began the back nine with successive bogeys before a birdie at the par-four 15^th took him to five-under and two shots clear of the remainder of the field.

Meanwhile, the 2019 Order of Merit winner and its current leader Jamie Brittain may have opened the door for Matt Cort or Andy Willey to succeed him after posting a two-over-par round of 74.

Cort and Willey, who ended the day on two and three-under respectively, are Brittain’s closest challengers. Cort is 10 points behind the leader and Willey 40 points adrift.

Full scores are accessible here