10/11/2015
Pennant Park captain William Murfitt can look back on the round of his life for inspiration as he chases silverware in the Golfplan Insurance PGA Pro-Captain Challenge final.
Murfitt, 25, hit a hole-in-one as he partnered PGA Professional Andrew Barnett, right, to victory in the regional qualifier at Dunham Forest earlier this summer.
Now the duo will head to Turkey for the £25,000 grand final over the PGA Sultan Course at Antalya Golf Club on November 25-26.
They will be up against nine other pairings on the Mediterranean coast, including defending champion Jason Levermore (Channels) who will be teeing up with his club captain Graeme Harvey.
And Barnett, a professional with a wealth of playing experience including two appearances in the PGA Cup, the club pros’ equivalent of the Ryder Cup, admitted the duo can’t wait to land and build on their achievements in Cheshire.
“I haven’t played much myself but I’m really looking forward to getting out there,” he admitted.
“I have played in Turkey before competitively and I really enjoyed the experience. I’m looking forward to seeing how Antalya compares to that.
“I’ve certainly got a very good playing partner in William. I felt we played well in the qualifier and he was excellent.
“He played very well and hopefully he can carry that performance through to the final.”
The regional qualifier was a unique opportunity for 10-handicapper Murfitt, who works for a finance company.
“I was quite nervous to start with, especially when they announce your name at the start,” he said after completing his round at Dunham Forest.
“But Andrew told me to drive at the third as I seemed to be doing well. But I couldn’t believe it when the ball hit the flag and dropped straight in!
“I’d never done that in a competitive event before so I was thrilled.”