Hunt shares the lead on PGA debut

Toby Hunt was a whisker away from becoming the shock outright leader on his PGA debut after the first day of the South Wales Festival at Pyle and Kenfig.

Hunt, 20, got into all sorts of trouble on the final hole, a 440-yard par four with a blind tee shot to a fairway with gorse and rough to clear.

He signed for an eight, leaving him with a share of the lead on one-over-par 72 where he was joined by Richard Dinsdale (Parc Golf Academy), Alistair Tresidder  (Sherborne ), Russell Berry (Professional Golf Europe) and the indefatigable Michael Watson (Wessex Golf Centre).

Earlier Hunt, who became a trainee with former regional captain Barry Thomas this year, won the Principality Junior Open Championship over the Twenty Ten course at Celtic Manor two years ago.

He started with a birdie and immediately dropped a shot. But birdies at the third, sixth and eighth followed, and nine successive pars over the more difficult back nine brought him to the fateful 18th tee where all the good work was unravelled.

All players found the going tough, especially the homeward run over the pure links set up. Watson, for example, dropped four shots. Only three shots separate the leading eleven players.

The 54-hole festival continues at Machynys Peninsular today and concludes at Ashburnham on Thursday.