Midland maestros celebrate success

Tour Championship winner Jak Hamblett will build on his maiden Order of Merit win at Stapleford Park by heading overseas in his quest for further golfing success.

Hamblett, who fired a seven-under-par 66 to clinch the final OOM title of the season, plans to compete on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa and the Gecko Tour in Spain before challenging for a European Tour card.

The 22 year old finished ninth overall in the OOM behind Matthew Cort, who was again the dominant force in the region after taking the overall title with three victories.

Cort, courtesy of his Powerade PGA Assistants’ Championship win, joins Simon Lilly, Paul Streeter and Craig Shave in the end of season Titleist PGA Play-Offs alongside Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship winner Dan Greenwoood.

Hamblett is now confident a busy winter playing schedule and further work with his coach will see him challenge his Midland rivals in 2014.

“I’ve been doing a lot of work on my swing with my coach Andy Dunbar,” he explained. “I feel like that has been my weakness this year, and realistically I would have loved to come in the top four on the Order of Merit.

“I hope that with plenty of practice I can move my playing career onto the next level. I’m planning on competing on the Sunshine Tour over in South Africa next year, and before that I’m looking at playing some events over the winter on the Gecko Tour in Spain.

“I just want to play as much competitive golf as I can. I’ve started my preparations for next year and I’m sure I’ll be spending a lot of time practising down at Queslett Park Golf Centre - they offer me a lot of support while I’m preparing for events.”

Handsworth man Hamblett struggled on his first nine holes at Stapleford Park, but an eagle at the turn provided a timely boost to his confidence. His game moved onto another level in the second round and a flurry of five birdies scattered over the front nine left his competitors trailing.

“I’ve got a mate I need to thank for that eagle,” he admitted. “The night before I watched a video he sent through to me about bunker play, and what happened the first time I got into a bunker? I scored an eagle!”

James Brown, Secretary of The PGA in England (Midlands) was delighted to celebrate another successful year for the region.

He said: “Matt (Cort) has been a machine this year and has had a fantastic season. The presence of five Midland players in the end of season PGA Play-Offs is testament to the quality of the pros coming out of the Midland ranks. It’s also a reflection on the great sponsors we’ve had in our Order of Merits which is helping to create a platform for these talented players to showcase their skills on a bigger stage.”