Fleming rings bell at Nelson Trophy
16/09/2013
Tom Fleming outclassed a strong field at a damp St George’s Hill to win the coveted Nelson Trophy Pro-Am by two shots.
The Frilford Heath pro shot a four-under-par 66 to take the £800 winner’s cheque, nudging the 68s of both recent winner David Callaway (Milford) and The PGA in England (South) Money List leader Jamie Harris (Nevill) into second place.
Enjoying the unrivalled combination of one of Surrey’s finest heathland courses and the classic atmosphere of its stately clubhouse, 27 teams of members and invited guests raised a significant amount for the Princess Alice Hospice in nearby Esher. First staged in 1931, the event has raised over £250,000 for local charities since its revival in 1993.
Harry Colt’s exceptional design allied to gusting winds and fine rain meant only three players broke par. Fleming started on the 13th and made three cracking birdies on the 15th, 16th and 18th, but he then three-putted the first and second after spinning his ball back to the front edge of both greens.
“I was playing the best golf I’ve played this year,” he said, “and I really didn’t miss much apart from those two holes where I wound up with two very long putts after spinning back so far. It was very satisfying after a year when I just haven’t been able to put the scores together.”
Although putting has been his weak point this season, Fleming overcame the disappointment of the two three putts on the trot after splashing out to five foot at the fourth and holing his birdie putt on the notoriously tricky green.
“After thinking in terms of needing five or six-under to win, those two three putts dropped me back to one-under and the feeling of ‘Here we go again!’, so making a birdie on the fourth and its very tricky pin position was a big boost.”
Fleming followed that up with birdies on the fifth and then the seventh to reach four-under-par and have his sights set on a strong finish.
“Although I watched two more putts lip out on the 10th and 11th, it was still great to play that well and even better to find that my 66 was the winning score.”
“While I’m now thinking in terms of working on my game and improving things for the 2014 season, I’ll be going on to the next Virgin Atlantic PGA South OOM tournament, the Tylney Park Classic, feeling a lot more upbeat about my prospects.”
