Ropey Rooke's royal showing

Lee Rooke climbed off his sick bed to fire a gutsy five-under-par 64 and lead the Asbri Golf sponsored Welsh PGA National Championship at his home club Royal St David’s.

The 35-year-old has just joined the staff at the famous North Wales links course but was close to not making it to the first tee in the £10,000 event having been laid low by illness.

However he showed few ill effects with a near flawless display to forge a one stroke advantage over Abergele Golf Club’s Stuart Runcie with North Wales Golf Club’s Roy Williams three back on two under.

A clutch of players are locked at one under including past champion Garry Houston while Ryder Cup ace Phillip Price, winner of this tournament 20 years ago, needs to find his best form if he is to add a second title after only mustering a 73 with just a solitary birdie on his card.

Rooke in contrast registered four birdies in five holes on the front nine with further gains at 12 and the par three 18th under the gaze of Harlech Castle with a missed short putt for bogey on 15 the only blemish.

“All week I haven’t been eating, and haven’t kept anything down and this morning I wasn’t even sure I was going to play,” said Rooke who won the PGA National Pro-Am Championship in Mexico two years ago.

“I didn’t hit loads on the range and was just trying to preserve energy. I made a good start and settled down but from the tenth was just trying to hang in there as I wasn’t feeling great.

“Tomorrow’s another day but hopefully I won’t be the first player to be leading and then have to pull out.”

Rooke’s effort, however, will have brought a smile to the face of his new boss, head pro Gareth Lewis, who has been coaching him.

“I’ve just become attached here, only a month, but I’ve been working on my game with Gareth all year and seeing some good results,” he added.
Runcie (below) was the clubhouse leader for most of the day with his 65 featuring a run of five birdies in seven holes from the sixth with just a bogey on nine to blot his scorecard.

“I would never say this game is easy but it was all pretty simply today,” said Runcie who is coached by his dad, Iain, the head pro at Abergele.

“I was just hitting fairways and greens, avoided trouble, and holed nearly everything from inside 10 feet.”

The Harlech course is a happy hunting ground for the former Welsh international who regularly played junior golf there and there is plenty to play for with the winner earning a place in next year’s Wales Open.

“I’d love to be Welsh PGA champion,” he added. “Tomorrow I will just try and play my game. A lot can happen here in the last five holes never mind the full 18 so I’ll just try and do what I did today.”

Also in contention is Williams who is flying the flag for the older generation at 54.

But Williams, a former Welsh badminton player, is relatively new to life as a PGA pro as he didn't turn pro until he was 46 having previously been a fitness instructor and coach to people with learning disabilities.

His round included a bogey on the first and a double bogey on 15 but birdies on two, six, eight, nine and 16 leave him well placed to challenge for the title in addition to the Welsh Seniors crown which he won the last time it was contested at Royal St David’s in 2010.

"I've played this course a lot and it played as easy as you will ever play it today," he said.