Priest warns rivals Nicklaus course needs a cool head

Steve Priest believes the Golfbreaks.com PGA Fourball Championship final at Cheshire’s Carden Park course will be a thinking golfer’s tournament.

Host professional Priest will team up with Carden Park Golf Club colleague Mike Platt for the £35,000 Skycaddie & BMW supported event to be held between August 12-14.

And he predicts the Jack Nicklaus-designed course will catch out some of the finalists if they do not use their heads.

“It’s a course where you have to think your way around,” said Priest.

“There are places where it can be generous, but you have to get it in the right place first.

“Typically, as a Nicklaus course, there’s a bit of water and some well-placed bunkers to watch out for, but I think the finalists are going to enjoy taking it on.”

Priest insists that he and Platt cannot rely on home advantage in the event.

“I’m not sure it’s right to use that as a reason to be confident about it, I do a lot of coaching and it’s good to be involved in a prestigious tournament for Carden Park,” he added.

“But there are going to be a lot of talented players coming here with a good chance of winning.

“A lot of them will know the venue from when we staged the PGA Professional Championship here in 2012. We’re used to having big events here now.”

Priest explained there had been a lot of investment in the venue by Wolverhampton Wanderers chairman Steve Morgan.

“I don’t think he plays here as much as he used to as he’s a busy man,” he said.

“He’s certainly put a lot into the Cheshire course here but I think he has to consult Jack Nicklaus before anything’s done to that course.

“But everyone here’s proud to be hosting the tournament.”

Other players taking part at Carden Park from the north west of England include: Graham Cox (Davenport Golf Club) and David Green (Dukinfield Golf Club); Jonathan Graham (Silloth on Solway Golf Club) and Craig Goodfellow (Penrith Golf Centre & Driving); David Smith (Swinton Park Golf Club) and Mark Hancock (Cheadle Golf Club); and Benjamin Stanier (Wilmslow Golf Club) and Timothy Maxwell (Knutsford Golf Club).