First win for Morris

Forest of Dean assistant David Morris claimed his maiden Gloucester and Somerset PGA triumph with a three-under-par 66 at Henbury capped by a stunning back nine of 29.

A sequence of five birdies in six holes proved decisive as he held off the challenge of home assistant Tom Hiscock by one shot.

Morris, a first year assistant under Stuart Jenkins at the Coleford club, has shown great promise since making his debut in February and he continued his good form despite dropping shots at the second and third holes and failing to make a birdie on the next eight.

Then he cut loose. He reeled off birdies at the 12^th, 13^th, 14^th, 16^th and 17^th to break the 30 barrier on his homeward run. He also collected the birdie sweep.

Hiscock, who has moved to Bristol from Devon, has produced some good results in his first season with the G&S PGA. He matched par with one birdie and one bogey on the front nine before he produced a trio of birdies from the 12^th.

But he had to settle for another runner-up finish as he dropped a shot at the closing hole.

David Dixon (Enmore Park), David Haines (Burnham and Berrow) and Ed Goodwin (Cirencester) tied for third on 70.

Haines was in the final group on the course and his score ultimately decided that Bristol Golf Centre’s Giuseppe Licata has now mathematically retained his Total Triumph Order of Merit title. Licata missed the event attended by 26 players as he was at Europro qualifying.

The undisputed champion has achieved seven wins over the winter and only once finished outside the top ten in 23 events.