Lee keeps Parc profile high with first Glenmuir final

Brian Lee thanked Wales national coach Neil Matthews for his victory at the Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship West qualifier.

Lee made it to the final for the first time after winning at Bowood Golf & Country Club.

The Parc Golf Academy professional won by three shots at the rain-hit Wiltshire course after carding a five-under-par round of 67.

He was two shots ahead of Devon’s Paul Hendriksen (Dinnaton Golf Club) with experienced Dorset professional Martyn Thompson (Parkstone Golf Club) a further shot back.

Bowood-based Nic Brennan came in fourth, one shot behind Thompson.

They and 10 other qualifiers will now play in the £78,000 Glenmuir showpiece being held on June 11-14 at De Vere Slaley Hall in Northumberland.

The Peugeot-supported final will also decide who makes the Great Britain & Ireland squad which will compete in September’s PGA Cup against the USA, also staged at Slaley Hall.

But for Lee, the result was the product of a winter of hard work with Matthews.

Lee said: “I have to mention Neil, he re-ignited my enthusiasm for the game when I hadn’t been playing much.

“We’ve been putting a lot of effort in during the winter months so this is the result.

“I know how much of a big deal this final is so I’m delighted to get there.”

Lee admits it is a good time to be raising the profile of Parc, based at Coedkernew, near Newport.

Parc’s Head Professional Richard Dinsdale has shown good form in a number of PGA finals.

And this is a special year for the club.

Lee explained: “It’s our 25th anniversary, we started out as a driving range and expanded to an 18-hole course.

“So it’s nice to do something like this to keep our profile high.

“Richard’s done well for the club in the past of course, and we like to think we help each other out.”

Now Lee is relishing his first Glenmuir final.

He added: “It’ll be good to play at a venue like Slaley Hall. I’m keeping my feet on the ground. It was constant rain at Bowood but I quite like playing in bad weather; it didn’t deter me."