Leonard surges to success
25/07/2014
Rob Leonard returned to top form with a superb two-shot triumph in the Weston Homes plc/Colchester Golf Club Classic.
The Harpenden Common head PGA professional fought off a clutch of players to secure his second Order of Merit success within the PGA in England (East) region.
Leonard, 29, came from off the pace to shoot a second-round 66 and finish on a six-under-par total of 134.
At that stage Ed Morton was seven-under-par, playing in the last group alongside Ian Ellis, who was just a stroke back.
But the pair’s respective challenges stuttered over the closing two holes and Leonard was able to celebrate a thrilling, if not altogether, expected victory.
Leonard’s 2014 results didn’t point towards him being a leading contender at the third Order of Merit event of the season.
But he opened up with a two-under 68 and that acted as the springboard for a sustained second-day bid that saw him successfully surge from three shots back overnight.
Leonard, whose previous Order of Merit win came in the 2010 Virgin Atlantic Open, said: “I’m so chuffed. My form hasn’t been good at all this year, so going into this I wasn’t that confident. But I hit some really good shots in the first round and that built my confidence.
“The pressure was on all the way in the second round and I stood up to it – I’m really happy. I played well and hit a lot of solid shots coming in.”
Leonard’s second round began in ideal fashion – with a birdie at the first. He remained on the front foot, picking up further shots at the fifth and eighth.
He short-sided himself at the next – a par-five – but delivered an exquisite short pitch before rolling home an eight-footer to get to six-under.
Leonard kept his focus after dropping a shot at the next – his only bogey on the day – and then chipped in from behind the back of the 11th green for a birdie.
With a tricky breeze and a batch of players in the hunt, he stood tallest of all. It was a display full of character and class from Leonard who became the head professional at Harpenden Common in April, 2012.
With Leonard in the clubhouse, it seemed for short time as if Morton might emerge victorious. He’d birdied the par-three 16th to get to seven-under but pulled his 4-iron tee-shot into a hazard at the 17th.
From there the A1 Golf Driving Range professional ended up making double bogey before three-putting the last to end up in a four-way tie for second with Ellis (Great Yarmouth and Caister), Mark Talbott (Thorpe Hall) and Crue Elliott (Sandy Lodge). Morton’s consolation was that this was his best-ever finish in an Order of Merit event.
He said: “If you’d given me four-under and a tie for second at the beginning of the week I would have taken it. I’m really happy with how I’ve performed and hopefully I can keep it going.”
It was the second successive Order of Merit event in which Ellis had finished in a share of second spot and he increased his lead at the top of the East region’s Order of Merit.
There were plenty of contenders for shot of the tournament, not least Brett Taylor who holed out on the par-five ninth from 230 yards for a first career albatross.
The next Order of Merit events commences on Monday with the Weston Homes plc/Royal Cromer Classic.
