Wessex wonder makes it win No. 12

Michael Watson achieved his 12th win of the most successful season since he turned professional 20 years ago with a two-stroke triumph at Oake Manor.

The Wessex Golf Centre player, 43, won 11 times in his previous best year 2011 and he made ten winning speeches last year.

He started slowly this season and only won for the first time at Carlyon Bay on July 7 but has since notched up 12 victories in just 28 pro-ams.

He set an early lead before the worst of the wet weather set in by making six birdies, including two at the final two holes, for two halves of three-under-par 32.

“I didn’t miss a green and it was a practically stress-free 64,” he said.

“We only had to play four holes in the rain so had the luck of the draw. Apart from not doing very well in the order of merits I’ve probably had my best year.”

The consistent Paul Hendriksen (Dinnaton) also collected six birdies but two dropped shots pegged him back to 66.  Andy Beal (Salisbury) started with a birdie and finished with two more to share second.

Richard Dinsdale (Parc Golf Academy) dropped a shot at the first but finished with five birdies over the final 11 holes, including the final three, to reach the same mark.

David Dixon (Enmore Park), playing in the penultimate group when the weather was at its worst, made five birdies and dropped just one shot as he also carded 66 to become the fourth runner-up.

Jon Cowgill (Farrington Park) finished sixth on 67 in only his fourth appearance of the season.

The Matt Durbin Associates team headed by Simon Stevenson (Taunton and

Pickeridge) with Clayton Butland, Phil Coleman and Matt Durbin won the team prize on 124, beating Richard O’Hanlon (Point at Polzeath) and amateurs Max Billingsley, Geoff Spiller and Rodney Warne on countback.

The Stover team of Derek Ellis, Andy Webb and Richard Pascoe were third on 125, led by Jason Fallon.

The final heroes were tournament controller Tom Sheffield, PGA official Bob Martin and the greenstaff whose squeegeeing of the saturated greens near the end of a long day made a finish possible.