Two-way tie for the lead in Staysure PGA Trophy Final

30/07/2019

Crow Wood and Waltham Windmill share the lead heading into the final round of the Staysure PGA Trophy following a summer washout at the London Golf Club.

The recent warm weather was sadly replaced with heavy winds and regular showers but that failed to dampen the spirits of all eight teams at the Kent-based venue, home to the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship. All 16 players were determined to enjoy the occasion on the International Course, widely regarded as one of the finest downland courses in Europe.

After teeing off first in the glorious sunshine, PGA Professional Stephen Bennett and his amateur partner Martin Quickfall coped well with the difficult conditions as the Waltham Windmill duo opened up with an impressive points total of 41.

“It was lovely at the very beginning and then the heavens opened and then it became brutal,” said Quickfall. “It’s a tough golf course as it is without the wind and the rain! When you were playing into the wind it was just horrendous.”

Bennett commented: “The wind really was strong today and when the rain came it was horizontal so just trying to play some of the shots was very difficult.

“Even though it’s better ball, just making par on some of those holes was a God send. Standing over some of the putts, you were blown all over!”

It was an up and down day for Crow Wood duo Ian Graham and Neil Keir. PGA Professional Graham made seven birdies and as many bogies, while his amateur partner played a key role in holing several important par putts as they also finished on 41 points.

“The conditions were very tough,” said Graham. “We both really enjoyed the round but I struggled with distance control because it was so wet and windy.

“I was very inconsistent throughout the round but luckily I had Neil with me and he made a lot of pars which really helped us.”

All eight teams will face new surroundings on Wednesday as they take on London Golf Club’s Heritage Course, host to the 2008 and 2009 European Open.

Despite the challenging conditions and the difficulty of the course, playing at the London Golf Club in a national final was an occasion that will live long in the memory of both amateur players.

Quickfall continued: “It was an incredible experience to play in this competition, it’s tremendous. It gives you a better insight into what the pros have to put up with especially on a long course.”

Keir added: “Money can’t buy this experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the occasion apart from the weather but I had a good pro alongside me who took me all the way round the course.

“We’ll do our best again tomorrow and if we win you won’t be able to knock the smile off my face for the rest of the year!”

For a full list of results from the opening day of the Staysure PGA Trophy Grand Final click here.