Toby is on the hunt for victory after last year’s play-off disappointment

30/08/2022

Toby Hunt has targeted victory in the Asbri Welsh PGA Championship this week to make up for the disappointment of missing out on the title last year.

Hunt, of St Mellons Golf Club near Cardiff, tied for the top spot 12 months ago with Royal St David’s Golf Club’s Lee Rooke, before losing in the resulting play-off.

Both players are returning for this year’s tournament at Machynys Peninsula Golf & Country Club near Llanelli (Aug 31-Sep 1), with Hunt still feeling frustrated at how last year’s tournament went for him.

In both rounds, it was the 18th hole that damaged what he felt was a performance that was, otherwise, enough to have won the event at Aberdovey Golf Club.

Round one saw him make an eight at the par four hole; and he bogeyed it in round two.

Despite that, he finished on six under par but it was not enough to edge out Rooke.

Now Hunt wants to make amends and feels that the Machynys course will suit his game.

“It was a bit of a bizarre event for me, I was playing decently and the eight at the 18th came out of nowhere,” he said.

“In the second round, I had no expectations but I was doing okay, maybe eight under par, but I got to the last hole again and I made five, falling back a shot.

“Then we were in a nine hole play off which I lost which was disappointing. Take the 18th hole out and I would’ve won it by miles. I’d gone into the event with some good form in the second half of the season.

“Now I’ve only got one goal in my mind and that’s to go and win. That’s all I want to achieve.”

Hunt admits he has had a stop-start season this year but is looking forward to the tournament.

“I’ve not played Machynys that much, but I think it’s a proper golf course, and a proper test, you can get rewarded for good shots and you’ll be using every club in the bag, it should be a real contest,” he added.

Hunt has taken over from Barry Thomas as head professional at St Mellons and this has occupied more of his time.

“Barry held the role for 35 years, so in the winter, I was trying to put into place with how I wanted to run things before I could think about playing,” he said.

“We’re benefiting from golf’s post-Covid boom which has been good, but it’s also been busy.”