No stage fright as De Courcey takes spotlight at Super 60s

He’s used to taking the limelight at the London Palladium but ventriloquist Roger De Courcey was happy to take top billing at the PGA Super 60s after posting a 64 with partner Lawrence Farmer.

The pair’s six-under-par round at Thorpeness Hotel & Golf Club put them two clear in the 36-hole tournament which carries a £10,000 prize fund.

Meanwhile Farmer was revelling being back on terra firma having recently indulged in a number of daredevil pursuits including wing-walking and parachuting.

Host pro Frank Hill and Tim Rowan-Robinson who is chairman of the company that owns the course, used local knowledge to good advantage as they carded a 66 to share second with Farthingstone Hotel & Golf Club pro Mike Gallagher and his partner Len Hardcastle from Peterborough Milton.

De Courcey and Farmer had eight birdies on their card including three in the last four holes with the man who found fame with Nookie Bear coming to the table with the highlight of his round a splendid drive and sand wedge to three feet on the 17^th.

“I’ve had a great time,” said De Courcey who admitted to a few first tee nerves.

“I get more nervous on the first tee than I do at the London Palladium because I know what I’m doing there as opposed to on the tee when I shut my eyes and hope for the best.

“I came in the holes that were necessary but Lawrence sank some great putts.”

He added: “I enjoyed it, it’s a nice couple of days. I’ve been a member of Moor Park for 38 years where Lawrence was the pro until two years ago. I still go to him for lessons and he said at the start of the year do you fancy playing in it and I jumped at the chance.”

Farmer, pictured below, and who retired as head pro at Moor Park two years ago, admitted that despite conquering his fear of heights through his adventure loving exploits, he still gets twitchy over the putts.

“Since retiring I’ve done a lot of running and cycling. I’ve got my bucket list. I did Land’s End to John O’Groats last year, have run two marathons, done wing-walking and a parachute jump but I still get nervous over the putts but I holed some good ones today so can’t complain.”

Also with little to grumble about was Hill who celebrated the arrival of a first national PGA tournament at the picturesque Suffolk course by moving up the leader board with a brilliant birdie on the last.

“I was very nervous in the beginning, but got going in the end. I didn’t drive it well but I’ve just changed my irons and I hit some great irons and Tim came in a couple of times,” said Hill.

“I’ve been trying to get a national PGA tournament here for a while and thought the Super 60s would be ideal. It’s a good test of golf and we didn’t even play it at its full length today.

“I don’t think home advantage works, not when you are bit tight in front of your members. There’s always pressure to do well but we are in the mix now although 64 is a hell of a round.”

His partner, who has played county golf for Suffolk, first played Thorpeness when he was aged seven so knows the course inside out but he too played down the advantage of home advantage.

“It doesn’t always work like that and there are some wily old chaps out there who don’t need to see a lot of the course to take it apart.”

Thorpeness attracted plenty of plaudits from the competitors including Gallagher who is sharing second alongside Hill and Rowan-Robinson.

“It’s a brilliant course, I’d heard years before what a lovely course it was and the area is superb, you relax here. But you go out on the golf course and you can’t relax, every hole grabs you.

“You’ve got to hit it straight, the bunkering is great, the course is in good nick and it is a good test of golf. Even if you play bad you’ll enjoy it.

“I was very fortunate years ago to go to America and study golf course design, and the first thing they stressed to us was ‘visual’ and this place really delivers on that score.”