Morton delivers emotional East Anglian Open triumph

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 17^th.

He put that blip to the back of his mind on the 18^th 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 13^th, 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 13^th. He fought back with three straight birdies from the 15^th 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 17^th. 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.