Twice as nice for Tiverton as duo prepare for final

Tiverton Golf Club will be making a double-pronged attack on the PGA Assistants’ Championship final.

David Cockayne and promising WPGA professional Jessica Bradley both qualified for the event.

And they are following in the footsteps of Tom Hanson who made it to last year’s final at Coxmoor Golf Club.

It has already been a good year for Bradley who also made it to the English PGA Final held at Saunton Golf Club.

Cockayne and Bradley will tee off in the £32,000 Birdietime-supported final which will be played at Farleigh Golf Club in Surrey between July 3-5.

And Exeter-based Cockayne says Tiverton are producing good players.

“Jess is obviously a very good player and this is my first year as an Assistant at Tiverton so it’s been great to get to the final,” he said.

“And for both of us to do it, it’s been excellent. We’ll travel up together and I already know her quite well so it’s been good. Jess is also in her first year.

“The set up is that we have a head professional in Alistair Welsher, then it’s myself and Jess, he also had Tom Hanson who did well last year, but he’s about to leave and work for Ping, as their specialist for the south west.

“I played with Tom as a junior and as soon as he turned pro he really made progress.

“I’m hoping to take over and qualify for this event for the next couple of summers.”

Cockayne, aged 21. admits the Farleigh venue is new to him but says he intends to prepare for the venue.

“I’ve been coaching and busy with that in recent weeks, but I’ll be looking at the course in more detail and basing my practice around what sort of course it is, I’m looking forward to going down there and seeing what it’s all about,” he explained.

“I’ve got ambitions to play more, I played in Spain on the Gecko Tour for a while, I lived out there for a couple of years. But the PGA run a lot of events and there’s the chance to get qualifications and coach as well.

“The PGA course offered a bit more stability but also competitions throughout the winter, plus you get to learn a lot from within the game. You’re working with golf every day and if you do it right then you’re learning all the time.

“And if you play well, you get to qualify for events like this. It’s been a great year so far.”

Other players from the West of England due to play at Farleigh include: Ryan Pope (Exeter Golf & Country Club); Louis Boston (Chippenham Golf Club); Lee Corfield (Burnham & Berrow Golf Club); Eugenie Knight (Carlyon Bay);  Adam Keartes (Bigbury Golf Club)