Ordinary Joe set for extraordinary golfing experience at Ryder Cup venue

A Yorkshire factory shift manager is preparing for a once in a lifetime golfing experience by competing in a national PGA final at Gleneagles where world stars such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will vie for the Ryder Cup next year.

Scarborough North Cliff Golf Club amateur Joe Earnshaw will partner head PGA Professional Fraser Kelley (pictured on left) in The Lombard Trophy from September 3-4.

The PGA National Pro-Am Championship is played over 36-holes and carries a £43,600 prize fund with the winning pro set to pocket £12,000.

And the 51-year-old Earnshaw (right) intends to savour every moment of the event which will see the pair up against 15 other clubs from across the UK.

He said: “I don’t think I’ll ever get another chance like this again.

“It’s an incredibly exciting achievement and I will try and make the most of it.

“Just to have the opportunity to play at the Ryder Cup venue is superb.

“I’ve been playing at North Cliff for 16 years and never been close to anything like this before.”

Earnshaw believes Kelley deserves some credit for getting the club’s members involved in the tournament.

He added: “This is Fraser’s first year at North Cliff so to do this is excellent.

“He created the interest in it and got people playing in the club’s qualifying event which I won.

“It’s the first time I’ve taken part in it, then we won at Fulford and now we’re at Gleneagles so it couldn’t have gone much better.”

Kelley - the son of Mike Kelley, former England international amateur golfer - admitted reaching the final was an ideal way to mark his first year at the North Yorkshire club.

He explained: “I left Heworth Golf Club in York and I moved to Scarborough to be closer to home.

“It’s worked out well by reaching the final.

“Getting to Gleneagles is good for the club and it’ll be a good experience for Joe as well. We’re both really looking forward to it.”