Fitzpatrick claims West Hill’s top prize

Fresh from the US Open at Oakmont, the European Tour’s Matthew Fitzpatrick (above) made the most of a day out with his family in one of the top earning Pro-Ams in the PGA South schedule, winning the West Hill Pro-Am.

Double European Tour tournament winner and Ryder Cup hopeful, Fitzpatrick finished with an eagle on the 17^th and a one-under-par 68, which was enough for him to collect the £1,500 winner’s cheque.

But on a day when the scoring was pretty tough, the PGA Kent Captain Anthony Tarchetti (Prince’s), local hero David Osborn (West Hill) and Justin Barnes (The Oxfordshire) pushed Fitzpatrick hard, all shooting level par cards of 69 and taking home cheques for £866 each.

Fitzpatrick started with a bogey at the first, got it back with a birdie at the fifth, but gave it away again at the next hole. A birdie at the 12^th got him back to level, but another dropped shot at the 16^th left the top Rooky with a lot to do. His answer was an eagle at the 17^th, and a safe par up the 18^th put him pole position.

Arriving only just in the nick of time for his scheduled tee-off, Tarchetti made an even worse start with two opening bogeys, and his birdie at the 8^th was undone by another bogey at the 10^th. Still two-over-par, the Prince’s man found two more birdies at the 12^th and the 15^th for his even par card.

Osborn started bogey, birdie and did the same at the fourth and fifth, adding another bogey at the seventh to reach the turn in one-over. Another birdie, bogey at the 12^th and 13^th didn’t change matters, but one last birdie at the 16^th and two safe pars got the local hero back in par.

Starting on the 10^th Justin Barnes birdied the 12^th, bogeyed the 15^th and birdied the 17^th to be in a good position to challenge Fitzpatrick, but in spite of a good run of pars for the next seven holes, a bogey at the seventh, his 16^th, meant he finished on level par.

All eyes are on now on the next highlight of the southern season, the JDRF Pro-Am Golf Tournament at Stoke Park on June 29^th where the PGA South’s own stars will join up with teams of amateurs to help raise as much as possible for the Type 1 Diabetes charity.