Mundesley take another shot at Pro-Captain glory

Billy Quantrill is hoping to guide Ryan Pudney to his second final in three years when they play in the Golfplan Insurance PGA Pro-Captain Challenge regional qualifier.

The Mundesley Golf Club duo will take part in the event to be held at John O'Gaunt Golf Club in Bedfordshire on Wednesday 31 July, where they will be aiming to make it through to the £25,000 challenge final over the PGA Sultan course at Antalya Golf Club in Turkey from November 21-22.

Pudney (pictured) made it to the final two years ago with then-captain David Crosby and Quantrill, 68, admits it was an occasion that raised Mundesley’s profile and helped it to attract new members.

He explained: “When you get through to a final like that, it gets publicity for the club and people start to realise you’re there.

“It was a big thing when they got through and everyone was talking about it.

“David Crosby’s a better player than me! But it’d still be nice to get to Turkey.”

Pudney has been in impressive form recently and narrowly missed out on the chance to play at Muirfield in The Open, but Quantrill admits the Mundesley PGA Professional does not forget the club’s roots.

He added: “Ryan’s been great for this club, not only with his results, but also by the way he brings in new members.

“He holds free sessions at Mundesley just so that people can get a taster to see if they want to come back and we’re attracting new members all the time when clubs can easily lose them.

Pudney admits he is relishing the chance to get back to the final.

He said: “This is an event I always enjoy, and when you’ve got to the final once, it only increases the desire to get back there again.”

Other teams taking part at John O’Gaunt include the host pairing of Lee Scarbrow and Francois Pinaar; Ian Ellis and Ian Paynter (Costessey Park); David Wilton and Julian Jones (Muswell Hill); Richard Herring and David Wright (Orsett); Craig Laurence and Paul Welsh (Stock Brook Manor); Jonathan Markham and Dick Taylor (Stowmarket); and James Jones and Ross Phillpotts representing Hertfordshire.