East Brighton Golf Club duo Darren Mustchin (PGA Professional) and George Pearson (amateur) were crowned winners of the 2023 St. James’s Place National Pro-Am following an unforgettable two days of competition at Antalya Golf Club (PGA National Turkey).
The opening day of this year’s championship set the stage with challenging rainy conditions, testing the resilience of the 12 teams who qualified through their Regional Final. However, as the sun emerged on day two, it became clear that the only similarity between the two days would be the tight scoring.
Mustchin and amateur partner Pearson led after day one and set out in the final group of day two just one point ahead of the chasing pack, but the change in weather provided a different experience and the opportunity for the chasing pack to catch up.
Norwood Park Golf Club duo Robert Macey (PGA Professional) and amateur partner Graham Wass made an excellent charge, finishing runners-up with a score of 84 points over the two days, but in the end they could not catch Mustchin and Pearson, who finished with a spectacular 88 points.
Legends Tour regular Brendan McGovern and amateur partner Alan Greally (Headfort Golf Club) scored 43 points to finish in third place.
“It feels great,” said Pearson. “I think unexpected is the big thing coming into this week. I was just happy to be here. I knew I was going to have great fun and winning wasn't at the forefront of my mind, so it wasn't until halfway through the back nine that I thought we were doing alright and were in with a shout.
“I've been holding back on the all-inclusive but I won't hold back tonight! Wow - what an unexpected, incredible experience!”
Mustchin added: “It’s been brilliant - there's lots of really good players here, so it's always nice to just pip them. I'm absolutely over the moon. It's been a great week - George played really well, as did I, so it was brilliant. absolutely fantastic.
“We had a bit of a wobbly patch on the back nine, but George had a couple of really good pars which kept us going a bit, but I think we came in on the same amount of holes actually.”
“We’re going to have a few drinks to celebrate - maybe a glass of champagne! Who knows! I would 100 per cent recommend the experience - it was £3 to enter and you’ve got a fantastic all-inclusive trip for five days - it’s been worth every penny of that £3!”
CLICK HERE to view a full list of scores from the 2023 St. James’s Place National Pro-Am Grand Final.
