Joe cruises to debut win

County champion Joe Cruse marked his first appearance as a professional by shooting four-under-par 68 to win the re-arranged Cornwall PGA pro-am at Falmouth by three shots.

His remarkable debut on a bright autumn day left a clutch of experienced county players behind, including the two outstanding Cornish players Richard Sadler (Newquay) and Richard O’Hanlon (St Kew) who trailed in second place.

Cruse gave little indication of what was to come as he dropped successive shots on the sixth and seventh holes before storming home with six birdies.

The Cornwall county champion in two of the past three years finished in a tie for top place in his final amateur event, the English county champions of champions tournament at Woodhall Spa, but lost at the fourth extra hole in a play-off.

Cruse, who has played all his golf at St Enodoc, has signed up with long-serving club professional Nick Williams to take his PGA Foundation degree course. Williams finished fourth on 74.

Chris Gill (Newquay) and Phil Brookes (The Point at Polzeath) shared fifth on 76.

Williams led his St Enodoc team of Tom Wills, Kevin Francis and John Paul to first place on the team section on 89, beating O’Hanlon, Tom Crocker, John Alton and Steve Churchill on countback. Gill with Simon Wood, Dave Addy and Jamie Burnett came third on 86.