Roddis hopes for match made in heaven

Stoneleigh engineer David Roddis is set to represent Coventry GC in the regional finals of the Lombard Trophy just three months after signing up to the club as a member.

Roddis, 46, only joined Coventry in April after being left impressed with PGA Professional Martin Sutliff during a tour of the facilities earlier this year.

Now he will tee up alongside Sutliff in the regional final of Europe’s largest pro-am on July 22 which, to add to the pressure, will be held over their home course.

The Lombard Trophy attracts entries from more than 800 clubs every year with 16 teams progressing to challenge in an £80,000 grand final. This year’s showpiece will take place over Gleneagles’ PGA Centenary Course, host to last year’s Ryder Cup, on September 1-2.

Roddis, who plays off a handicap of nine, has played golf all his adult life.

But he really got into the game when he quit playing ice hockey and rugby around eight years ago to focus on golf.

He admitted he is now feeling the pressure ahead of representing his new club over their own course.

“I guess there is a certain amount of pressure that comes from playing your own course,” he explained.

“I’ve been playing here twice a week since I joined so I should know the course a lot better than many of the other players.

“Then there’s the expectation levels, everyone will be rooting for us and hoping we do well.

“But we just need to stay calm, go out there and play to the best of our ability.

“It would be really nice if we could go to Gleneagles. To test yourself over a course of that pedigree that’s hosted the Ryder Cup would be amazing.”

Roddis explained how Sutliff’s impact led to him signing up to join the club earlier this year.

“I was so impressed with him, he took time out of his day to show me around and really go through everything,” he said.

“I saw how involved he was with every element of the club, he was very hands on.

“For me that was a key factor – he knew about everything that was going on, and was very involved with the club competitions which I do like to play in.

“I’m looking forward to now having the opportunity to play alongside him in this event.”