Toby Hunt claims second Asbri Welsh National PGA Championship title

06/09/2023

Toby Hunt (St Mellons Golf Club) came out on top after an epic battle with Adam Runcie (Abergele Golf Club) to be crowned Asbri Welsh National PGA Champion for a second time.

The pair began the final day at Machynys Peninsula Golf & Country Club on four-under-par and what followed was one of the most entertaining battles in the competition’s long history.

🗣️ Hear from Toby Hunt after winning his second @Asbrigolf Welsh National PGA Championship at @MachynysGC #WelshNational2023 pic.twitter.com/PjLa2e6vez
— The PGA (@ThePGA) September 6, 2023

Hunt made a positive start with three birdies on holes three, six and seven but he found himself in trouble on hole nine after losing his ball and subsequently picking up a double bogey.

Birdies at five, six and nine put Runcie back at the top of the leaderboard before the pair went toe-to-toe and produced some outstanding golf on the back nine.

Seven straight birdies from hole 12 to 18 was almost matched by Runcie who made five consecutive birdies himself, but a bogey at hole 12 proved costly and he finished just one back at the finale, with Hunt winning thanks to a score of 12-under-par.

“He (Adam) was awesome,” said Hunt. “On a different day he wins it by miles. It is just one of those things that we ended up having such a good battle on the back nine.

“He got a three-shot swing on nine, then I got two of them back on 12 with my birdie and his bogey and from then on we were both birdying so many holes jointly it was all about who was going to make the mistake. Neither of us did and it took me to make a birdie on every single hole, all seven of the last, to beat him, so all credit to him.”

Victory this year feels all the more sweeter for Hunt who finished runner-up in the Asbri Welsh National PGA Championship last year and he also lost to Lee Rooke in a play-off in 2021.

“I think the first time you win something like this is special. It certainly feels sweet to win it again. I feel it’s the right time to win it again because I’ve had a couple of disappointing finishes over the last few years but it feels great. It’s a good achievement to win it twice so I’m very happy.”

Hunt was presented with a new Asbri Welsh National PGA Championship trophy which was originally only ever used for a professional match between Great Britain & Ireland and the British Commonwealth and Empire. The match was played in 1956 at Princes Golf Club and featured golfing legends Max Faulkner and Dai Rees.

Elsewhere, Ben Brierley (Denbigh Golf Club) finished third on five-under-par while defending champion was tied seventh on level par.

Richard Dinsdale was crowned Asbri Welsh National PGA Seniors Champions after finishing sixth overall on two-under-par.

Reflecting on another hugely successful tournament, Eryl Williams, Managing Director at tournament sponsors Asbri Golf, said: “We’ve built our business on dealing with PGA Professionals and in those early years it was a case of styling and testing our products. It was the Welsh pros that we approached, they supported us and gave us feedback, so it was a natural synergy as a proud, Welsh company to sponsor this historic tournament. We’re immensely proud to be part of this event.”