Hampshire seal Belfry final

Three PGA Professionals from Hampshire teamed up to storm into the final of the SkyCaddie PGA England & Wales Inter-County Championship final at the Belfry.

Martin Adams (Swanmore), Jonathan Barnes (Lee-on-the-Solent) and Philip Brydon (Alresford) combined to shoot a one-under-par total of 139 over the tricky Mid Kent layout and finish three shots clear of the rest of the field.

The reward for the trio’s win will be a trip to the Warwickshire venue, where they will play the PGA National Course for a share of the £10,000 prize fund.

The Belfry, famed for its Ryder Cup heritage having hosted the biennial matchplay showpiece on four occasions, will stage the final for the second year running, having been the venue for Suffolk’s dramatic triumph in last year’s inaugural event.

Adams, who holed the winning putt to take Hampshire to the final, is confident the trio can take the silverware and round their season off in style.

“We’re definitely capable of going there and winning,” he said confidently.

“We all think we can play better than we did today, so if we can take it up a notch we certainly stand every chance.

“It was tricky out there, there weren’t too many birdie opportunities so we always felt it was going to be a case of seeing who could keep the bogeys off their card.

“It seemed to work for us and we’re all delighted to be going up to the Belfry for the final – it was a very happy journey home!”

The 27 year old hailed the trio’s team spirit as being decisive in their victory.

“Hampshire’s a very tight county, so you get to know the other professionals really well,” he explained.

“The three of us see each other every week, and obviously play against each other in competition too.

“I think that helped us, I certainly went in feeling that I wanted to do well for the other lads – and I was the last one out so that added a bit more pressure!”