Three’s the magic number for James

James Webber (Three Rivers G&CC) is ready for the “be all and end all” of his season at the East Anglian Open @ The Rayleigh Club.

Webber, 25, is in second place on the Order of Merit going into the final Order of Merit tournament, which takes place next Wednesday and Thursday (Sep 21-22).

The top-three are assured of a spot in the season-ending PGA Play-Offs at Saunton (Oct 24-27) in Devon where the best PGA professionals from Britain and Ireland will line up.

A top-10 finish at Saunton secures a clutch of high-profile invites for 2017, including the strong possibility of a start at the BMW PGA Championship – against some of golf’s biggest stars.  

It is no surprise, then, that Webber has spent the last month or so priming himself for the East Anglian Open at the Rayleigh Club, which is just 10 minutes or so from his home in North Fambridge.

He said: “The top-three was a goal last year that I let slip away and it’s a goal again.

“It’s my be all and end all. I pulled out of European Tour qualifying school. If you can get to the (PGA) Play-Offs and do well at them, you get quite a lot of perks.

“I’m feeling really good and have been working hard towards this event. I’ve been trying to peak for this, which is hopefully going to happen – we’ll see.”

Webber warmed up with a PGA pro-am success at Rochford Hundred earlier this month and also enjoyed a victory at Stock Brook.

He said: “I’ve just been working on plotting myself around the golf course a bit better. Hitting a few more irons, keeping myself in the hole.

“My driving is a strength but at the same time it can be a negative as I use the driver a bit too often. So I’m trying to keep the driver in the bag and plod it a bit better.

“A few times last year – especially the back end – I blew it on the first day. I didn’t stay patient – I think that’s the key, just stay patient through the first few holes and get off to a nice, solid start and then see what we can do.”

Webber is still very much in the race to finish top of the Order of Merit. The Essex ace has leader Ian Campbell (Cheshunt Park) in his sights but is more concerned about the chasing pack trying to force him from the top-three.

He said: “I’m looking down rather than up, I suppose. I’d love to just get that top-three. If I had a really good event, you’d still be asking Ian to not have a great event which is something I’m not really looking at. I just want to go and have a good event for myself. If it’s good enough to win it, then that’s just a bonus.”

Fellow Essex professional Rob Coles (Maylands G&CC) is in third place on the Order of Merit. The leading pursuers are James Ruebotham (Welwyn Garden City), Glen Portelli (Verulam) and Chris Cutchie (Colchester).