Portelli aims to shine in Powerade final

Inspired by his peers as they walked the fairways of Wentworth with McIlroy and Rose, Glen Portelli is determined to secure his own slice of golfing success in 2014.

For this year, at least, the 23-year-old watched from the sidelines as The Rayleigh Club’s Mark Hooper flew the flag for PGA Professionals by finishing in the top 40 at the BMW PGA Championship.

Yet just two years into his pro career ambitious Portelli is already planning his own rise through the ranks, starting with one of golf’s oldest events, the Powerade PGA Assistants’ Championship.

Portelli has secured his place in the £32,500 showpiece at Coventry Golf Club for the second year running after impressing during the regional qualifier at Haverhill.

The FootJoy-supported event, which has been pitting some of Great Britain and Ireland’s best young golf professionals against each other since 1930, is guaranteed a new champion this year after three-time winner Matt Cort completed the PGA foundation degree.

“I’m very happy to have got through to the final,” Portelli enthused. “It was one of my main goals before the year started so now I just want to go there and do well.

“I got the job done in the qualifier even though I don’t feel like I played at my best. Now I want to go there and try to win it.

“Obviously you look at what the lads like Mark [Hooper] achieved at Wentworth and think that that’s a position you’d love to be in.”

Portelli has certainly adapted to professional golf well since he made the switch from full-time amateur commitments two years ago.

The Broxbourne-born golfer has already chalked up one victory since the beginning of May, and he will go into the Powerade final full of confidence after a top 25 finish in the event last year.

“I always felt very confident about my golf when I was playing full-time as an amateur,” he explained. “But I think my golf is even better now, even though I have other commitments as a club pro which mean I can’t practice quite as much.

“I spend a lot of time teaching, working in the shop and organising competitions, and I’m studying for my PGA degree too.

“But the head pro at the club is really good and encourages me to go and play as much as I can. Hopefully I can use that to go out and get some wins this year.”

Luke Young, national and key account manager for Coca-Cola Enterprises, whose products include Powerade, said: “We are delighted to once again support this prestigious tournament which will culminate with a final at Coventry Golf Club in June.

“It is an event which has a long history of showcasing outstanding golf from some of the country’s best young players, and I look forward to watching what will undoubtedly be another exciting Championship this year.”

The other golfers playing in the final from the east region include: Chase Davis (Stapleford Abbotts), Nicholas Pateman (Pinner Hill), James Noakes (Dyrham Park), Nicholas Cunningham (Bedford & County), James Jankowski (Essendon), and Joseph Farley (North Middlesex).