Knutsford signal Lombard Trophy ambitions

Knutsford head PGA professional Tim Maxwell has proved as quick off the mark as some of the Manchester United players he used to coach by becoming the first entrant in the 2013 Lombard Trophy.

The entry pack to Europe's largest pro-am landed at UK clubs this week and Maxwell's Cheshire facility is already teed up in one of the 16 regional finals taking place over the summer at Dunham Forest.

With an £80,000 prize fund at stake including £12,000 to the winning pro there is plenty of incentive for competitors not to mention the grand final which is being staged over the 2014 Ryder Cup venue Gleneagles from September 3-4.

"It is a great event and one the club always enters," said Maxwell who has been head pro for six years and previously coached United striker Diego Forlan and Sir Alex Ferguson among others.

"I enjoy playing in the Lombard Trophy with the members and it's something we always look forward to playing in.

"I've entered every year over the past decade but unfortunately have never qualified for the grand final but hopefully we can make some sort of impact this year, especially as I've never played Gleneagles either so this year would be ideal to go up there."

Knutsford will be in action at the Dunham Forest qualifier on July 5 with the 15 other qualifiers stretching across the UK from the opening one at Kedleston Park on June 3 to the last one at Golf at Goodwood on July 29.