Kedleston Park do the ‘double’

Kedleston Park Golf Club completed a double success by clinching their place in Golfplan Insurance PGA Pro-Captain Challenge final in Turkey.

Captain Ian Neal (left) and PGA Professional Ian Walley (right) won the event on their home course by just one shot.

And it means the Derbyshire club will appear in two finals this year after qualifying for the PGA National Pro-Am Championship at Gleneagles.

Walley is the reigning PGA Pro-Captain champion after winning last year’s showpiece event when he represented Shirland Golf Club.

Now Walley will return with Neal play in the £25,000 final, supported by Canopius, over the PGA Sultan course at Antalya Golf Club, Turkey, from November 21-22.

The Kedleston Park duo returned an eight-under-par round of 63 and that was enough to beat  Philip Cary and Craig Nesbitt of Lakeside Golf Club in Staffordshire into second spot.

But Neal admitted it was not all plain sailing.

He explained: “At the turn we were only one-under and the win looked a long way off.

“But Ian turned it on and made six birdies on the back nine.

“It was a contrast to our Pro-Am win where we made a good start.

“But it’s fantastic to make it into two finals, local knowledge comes into it to a certain extent but we still had to play well.

“Not many clubs get to these finals in the same year so it’s good that we’ve achieved that.

“I think Ian was determined to do well and reach another final.”

Walley was delighted to get back to Turkey and defend his title.

He said: “I won last year and got to the final two years ago so this’ll be my third time out there.

“I’ll know my way around and it’ll be good to take the captain out there.

“But it seems that I’m more suited to this form of golf than to my individual game!”