Phil hopes the Price is right

Former Ryder Cup player Phillip Price heads the largest Order of Merit field for years in the West PGA Players Championship at Cumberwell Park next week that has been dominated by the Welsh.

Since Ali James, the host club’s general manager and former Wiltshire amateur captain became the shock inaugural winner, the trophy has gone across the Severn Bridge. Richard Dinsdale (Parc Golf Club/Asbri Golf) is the defending champion while Liam Bond (St Pierre) won in 2012 and 2013.

Price was third last year followed by another European Tour winner Stephen Dodd. In previous years the leading places were filled by Cennydd Mills (Ridgeway), Matthew Dearden (Llantrisant and Pontyclun) and Sion Bebb (Morlais Castle).

All feature among the 120 players, including 27 from Wales, in the 36-hole tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday July 14-15.

All leading PGA professionals in Wales and the West compete at the expanding 45-hole Wiltshire complex near Bath.

Dorset’s Lee Thompson hopes to break the Welsh domination. The Dudsbury man, who holds a slender lead in this year’s Order of Merit after two tournaments, finished tied third last year after taking fourth spot in the three previous years.

He won the Dudsbury Masters on his home course last month, tied third in the Total Triumph Classic at Oake Manor and also leads the money list.

But Paul Hendriksen (Dinnaton), who was second in 2011, is the man in form with five wins this year. He won the Total Triumph and followed by taking the national Titleist & FootJoy PGA Professional Championship at Burnham and Berrow, earning a return to the PGA Play Offs in Turkey in December and a place on the PGA Cup team visiting California in September.

He is a mere 30 points behind Thompson in the OOM with Ross Langdon (Gloucester), Mark Wiggett (Dudsbury) and James Ruth (China Fleet) in close pursuit. The leading three players at the end of the season qualify for the Play-Offs with a chance to compete in European Tour events next year.

Michael Watson (Wessex Golf Centre) is showing signs of a return to form while David Dixon (Enmore Park) is a threat whenever he tees up.

Former PGA champion Scott Drummond from Plymouth makes his Players debut while European Senior Tour players Gary Emerson (Remedy Oak) and Kevin Spurgeon (Ferndown) are also in the field.

Tournament controller Tom Sheffield said: “This is the strongest entry of the season and all top 25 in last year’s OOM rankings have entered what is becoming a premier event. It promises to be an exciting contest.”