Nash so close at Okehampton

Antony Nash (above) was set to claim his first West pro-am win as he stood on the 18th tee at four-under-par at Okehampton but then he smashed his drive into the trees and suffered a double bogey six.

His solitary blemish after birdies at the second, seventh, eighth and 15th proved expensive for the St Enodoc assistant whose 66 was only enough to share third place with Paul Turpin (Carlyon Bay), who made an eagle on the 10th and three birdies.

Last man in Kevin Harper (Sidmouth), who won the club’s centenary pro-am with a course record last year, started with two birdies and, despite dropping a shot on the fourth, was four-under-par after birdies at the fifth, eighth and 10th before his second bogey at the 11th.

This took him to the top of the leaderboard to join Richard O’Hanlon (St Kew), a late entrant, who was in the clubhouse on 65 with a birdie at the second and a run of four in a row from the ninth.

The heroes of the day were the groundstaff who squeegeed the flooded greens after a succession of heavy showers. Tournament controller Tom Sheffield even had to suspend play for 40 minutes late in the afternoon after a burst of lightning.

Frenchman Jules Lompech, an assistant at Padbrook Park Golf Club, produced the shot of the day when he holed an 8-iron for an ace at the 133-yard seventh.

David Haines (Burnham & Berrow) and Adam Frayne (Yelverton) shared fifth on 67 while Paul Hendriksen (Dinnaton), Iain Parker (Royal North Devon) and James Ruth (China Fleet) were seventh on 69.

Hendriksen’s team of Matt Parry, Kevin Cornwall and three-handicapper John Rattenbury, who is shortly joining home professional Ashley Moon as a PGA assistant, won the team prize on 91 points. Harper’s trio of former West PGA tournament controller Jon Mansell, Martin Cox and Kevin Pedrick were second on 89 with Frayne leading Rod Milsom-Smith, David Williams and Rod Jones to third on 85.