Perfect Portelli

Glen Portelli, a first year PGA assistant at Verulam Golf Club and former Hertfordshire county amateur, took the individual first prize at the pro-am which followed the Weston Homes plc/Bishop’s Stortford Classic.

His four under par round of 67 saw off the challenge of three in-form Essex rivals, James Scade (Little Channels), Mark Hooper (Rayleigh Golf Range) and Jason Levermore (Channels), by a single shot.

Portelli, who had four birdies and no dropped shots,  made up for the disappointment of slipping down the leader board in the order of merit the previous day when under the pressure of playing in the final group. 

Hooper is the pacemaker in the PGA in England (East) order of merit after two of the six events.

He was third at Royal Cromer last month where the championship was reduced to a single round because of fog and won at Bishop’s Stortford this week.

Hooper had 15 pars and three birdies. Levermore and Scade both had five birdies and two bogeys.

Fifth place went to Irishman Barrie Trainor of Old Joe’s Golf Range in Suffolk who feels that competitive golf in the east is perfect preparation for his bid to impress in The Irish Open at Carton House between June 27 and 30.

Trainor had five birdies but one again dropped shots in the testing closing holes at Bishop’s Stortford.

Paul Toyer of St Neots Golf Club shared sixth place with Glynn Harris (Mill Hill) at level par.

Seven experienced players were joint eighth with one over. They were Lawrence Dodd (Bury Golf Range), Stuart Brown (Orton Meadows), Darren Charlton (Dunstable Downs), Alastair Archibald (Hadley Wood), Chase Davis (Stapleford Abbotts), Ian Ellis (Costessey Park) and Ben Cooper (Bishop’s Stortford).

Rob Leonard of Harpenden Common brought home the winning team of Bishop’s Stortford member James Mitchell with guests James S Mitchell and Tommy Thomas.

They ended five shots clear of Laurence Allen (Brookmans Park) with David Moran, Chris Byatt and Dave Vincent who took second place on count back from Scade, Sue Knight, Rowena Haslam and Barbara Tucker. There were 46 teams for an event played in glorious weather.