Open coach White aiming to be red hot on Blairgowrie greens

A PGA pro who helped give thousands of free lessons at the Open Championship will focus on his own game next week as he chases success in the Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship.

Alex White, head PGA Professional at Romiley Golf Club in Stockport, is making his debut in the £78,000 tournament which is supported by Peugeot and takes place at Blairgowrie Golf Club from August 5-8.

The 36-year-old is one of 16 north west based pros who will tee up in the prestigious event having qualified at Dunham Forest.

White is still buzzing after his Open Championship experience both from helping deliver 3,000 lessons at the R&A Swing Zone plus seeing some of the world’s best players including the legendary Tom Watson, who impressed at Royal Liverpool.

“I saw Watson on the Friday when I think he was playing with Sergio Garcia and Darren Clarke and you would never imagine he was a guy in his mid 60s, he hit it just like the other two, it was remarkable,” he said.

“What impressed me generally with Watson and all the players was how good their approach play was. They were just peppering the flag with their second shots from anywhere on the golf course and shows why they shoot the scores they do.”

White, who in the early 90s was named Golf World’s most improved junior of the year after getting his handicap down from 28 to nine in a year, is hoping to be equally accurate at Blairgowrie which he hopes will suit his game.

“I’ve never played Blairgowrie before but having checked it out on the website it looks similar to Woburn which is my perfect kind of golf course. I grew up near Woburn and have played many tournaments there and it suits my kind of game.”

However, White admits he hasn’t had much time to prepare due to the demands of coaching at the Open plus his busy club pro role which includes fostering junior development through close ties with local schools where they are one of the first pilots of a satellite golf club scheme.

There is plenty at stake thought if he can hit top form with the winner and runner-up qualifying for the end of season Titleist PGA Play-Offs in Turkey while leading finishers also earn points towards qualifying for the Great Britain & Ireland PGA Cup team to face the United States in California in September 2015.

The winner also secures the use of a Peugeot 208 for a year.

Matthew Eagle, UK and Eire Sales Director at Glenmuir, said: “We are delighted to be once again sponsoring the Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship, recognised and respected as the flagship event for PGA Professionals in Great Britain and Ireland.

“The qualifier venues were of outstanding quality this year as was the standard of golf played throughout, with the magnificent Blairgowrie Golf Club offering a fine venue for this year’s final from 5 - 8 August, which is sure to be as intriguing as ever.

“Our longstanding commitment to the PGA Professional is something very dear to our hearts alongside the game of golf at grass roots level. We hope that these relationships will carry forward for many years to come. 

“We look forward to another exciting tournament, and wish all the competitors the best of luck ahead of the event.”

Other players from the north west include Chris Crowder (Lee Park), David Smith (Swinton Park), Steve Parry (North West Golf Academy), Grant Hamerton (Pike Fold), John Watson (www.totalgolfanalysis.co.uk) and Tim Rich (Royal Lytham).