Morton delivers emotional East Anglian Open triumph
16/09/2015
Ed Morton (EM Golf Studio) struggled to hide his emotions after winning a thrilling PGA East Anglian Open by a shot at Basildon.
Morton, 33, produced some stunning golf to finish at nine-under-par – one clear of European Seniors Tour winner Mark Davis – and claim his first Order of Merit title.
He opened up with a superb six-under 66 but was forced to endure some nervy moments on the second day – especially through the closing holes.
Bedfordshire-based Morton made three birdies on the inward nine, but also carded three bogies, including a six at the 17th.
He put that blip to the back of his mind on the 18th tee, firing a confident iron down the middle before hitting a pitch pin high, a fraction left of the green.
From there he rolled a lag putt to within a couple of inches and tapped in for a three-under 69 that would secure a hugely satisfying victory.
Morton said: “My family will tell you I am a very emotional guy and it’s very difficult for me to hold it in sometimes. I almost cried, getting to 10-under!
“It’s just been a long time, failing after failure – EuroPro, Challenge Tour – just never quite reaching my potential, through injuries and stuff.
“I’m feeling very emotional. This is a big one – the biggest win I’ve had. It was blooming hard work! In the last seven holes I had one par and that was at the last.”
Morton had threatened an Order of Merit triumph last year at the Weston Homes Colchester Classic after a first-round 65.
He failed to see his challenge through on that occasion but learned some valuable lessons from the near-miss.
At Basildon, he regularly took his trusty three-iron off the tee, instead of driver. And as well as shrewd course management, he also impressed with a series of fine approach shots, notably with his wedges.
Morton’s tactics and iron-play combined with telling effect at the par-four 13th, a tricky par-four where a series of costly errors were made by others. Having dropped a shot at 12, he responded with a brilliant 6-iron into the next green and drained the subsequent nine-foot putt.
Morton said: “To birdie 13 was just unbelievable. It’s such a difficult hole and was the catalyst to get me going again and back on track.”
Davis (Thorndon Park) laid down a serious challenge and got to eight-under before a triple bogey on the fiendish 13th. He fought back with three straight birdies from the 15th but finished up a shot shy of Morton.
Darren Charlton (Dunstable Downs) extended his lead at the top of the Order of Merit. He shot a near text-book 66 on the second day to land third spot, two behind Morton. It was another giant stride towards the PGA Play-Offs in Antalya, Turkey at the end of November for Charlton.
He said: “it was all very close on the Order of Merit not only before this event but after the first day, so the second round was very important for me. I could easily have dropped down to fifth or sixth (on the Order of Merit) with an average one, so it was nice to do the job and give myself a great chance going into the last event. I’m very happy.”
David Salisbury (Three Rivers) remains in second place on the Order of Merit after tying for 17th. But the big mover was Stuart Brown who shared eighth spot and is back in the all-important top-three in the Play-Offs race.
The final event, the Lynx Golf Championship@Rayleigh Club takes place on September 23-24.
