Harris too hot to handle

Jamie Harris (Nevill) shot a scorching a seven-under-par 65 to win The Oxfordshire Pro-Am by two shots and take the top prize of £750.

With 10 wins this season and eight top ten finishes including two victories in August, Harris is having another fine year.

He lies second behind Chris Gane (Lefthandedgolf@Silvermere) in the Money List, despite a recent injury that took him out of contention over the past couple of weeks.

As he put it: “I was happy just to be playing, and for the first time without the usual pain killers!”

Harris shaded out several other players in form, namely Guy Woodman (East Berks) in second place with a 67, and then a pack of recent winners on four-under 68 comprising Kieran Staunton (Woodcote Park), Gane, Tom Fleming (Frilford Heath) and James Ablett (Lee-on-the-Solent).

Starting on the second with a birdie, Harris made two more at the fifth and sixth, and then charged through the back nine to be seven-under-par on the 18th tee, but three putts from 15 feet on the 18th green took him back to six-under. Undaunted, Harris made one more at his last hole to get back to seven-under and take the title by two shots.

Harris added: “I played well, holed out fine apart from that one on the 18th green, and was generally pretty happy all things considered. There were some top players there, like Chris Gane, all of whom are having a good season so luckily it was my turn to win!”

Harris notched up no less than three deuces on The Oxfordshire’s challenging par threes, hit 16 greens in regulation and disposed of the fearsome par five 17th with a rescue club for his second to 15 feet and a simple two putt birdie.

Reflecting on the remainder of the season, Harris said: “I’m just looking forward to the PGA Southern Professionals at Kings’ Hill where hopefully I’ll have fully recovered from the rib injury I have been carrying. It’s a course I like and it would be nice to take this form with me to Kent next week.”