Toby tops at Teign

Toby Hunt (St Mellons) proved once again that he is a player with a big future by winning the Teign Valley pro-am before the annual West Fourball Championship.

A month after winning the Celtic Manor Ryder Cup Celebration pro-am against a top-quality field, the Marston’s West Region Assistants champion returned five-under-par 65 to beat Torquay’s Nathan Gilpin by one shot with Ashley Mansell  (Clevedon) a shot further back and Christian Vine (Woodbury Park) on 68.

Chris Gill (Newquay), Plymouth’s Scott Drummond and Murdoch McEwan (Wells) were the only others to better par in fifth spot.

This was Gilpin’s final appearance in The PGA in England and Wales (South West) before his imminent move to the London Club. The graduate in Applied Golf Management Studies from Birmingham University won at Trethorne last year and spent the summer on placement at Royal Porthcawl.

The former Devon amateur from Torquay is attached to his home town club where he first started playing. He also led Teign Valley’s club captain Ted Ridgewell, Duggie Porter and Gary Birch to first place in the team section on 18-under 122.

McEwan, now back in Somerset representing Wells Golf Club after spending time in the United States, celebrated his first regional appearance since 2002 by bringing in Vince Chalk, Steve Locke and Jim Mills into second place on countback.

The third all-Teign Valley team of Shaun Truscott, Kevin Down and Mark Harris finished third on 125 with former Taunton Vale James Keitch at the helm.