Impressive Hall wins at Machynys

Welsh National PGA champion Lydia Hall continued her remarkable form with a five-shot victory at the PGA in South Wales medal at Machynys Peninsula Golf Club.

On a day when scoring was particularly tricky given the windy conditions the 29-year-old Ladies European Tour player from Hensol Golf Academy in Cardiff shot the only under par round of the day.

The key to her success was making birdies at the second, 12th and 15th with only two bogeys at the sixth and 17th in her one-under-par 71.

She now moves up to seventh in the order of merit, closer to a place in the top three to represent South Wales in the PGA England & Wales Inter-County Championship.

Neath’s Craig Melding, November’s joint winner at Swansea Bay, shared second with Pennard’s Llewelyn Miller on 76. Melding offset early triple and double bogeys with three birdies in the last five holes to become the winter order of merit leader.

Newcomer Miller, who recovered from making a triple bogey at the opening hole and slipped to five-over 41 at the turn, made birdies on three out of the four par fives to finish strongly to follow Hall’s example and return in one-under 35.

Huw Williams (Pyle and Kenfig) trailed two shots further back on 78 to pick up the prize as the leading assistant to share fourth place with Josh Mayo (Parc/Asbri Golf).  Mayo and his amateur partner James Gravenor combined to record 66, with seven birdies and one eagle, to take the betterball prize.

The par five final hole claimed two notable scalps. Both European Tour winner Philip Price and former European man Liam Bond (Marriott St Pierre) took eight. A par would have brought Price a share of second.

The penultimate event of the season will be held at Southerndown Golf Club on January 26.