Wilson takes top spot at Littlestone

Prince’s Charlie Wilson produced his best golf of 2018, shooting a four-under-par 67 to win the Littlestone Pro-Am and a cheque for £800.

A former member at Littlestone for six years, Wilson also did his PGA training there for a further three and worked as a PGA Assistant for one more year before leaving to become the PGA Head Professional at nearby Prince’s.

A delighted Wilson commented: “Local knowledge around Littlestone certainly helps, but there again there’s the pressure of everyone’s expectation as well. On top of that, I’ve been scoring badly this year and apart from the win at Burhill, my results have been terrible!”

He added: “The weather was ideal, not much breeze, and the greens were exceptional and very fast. I still had a few off shots, but made some good putts for my 67, so producing the winning score here today was a fantastic result.”

Starting at the fourth, Wilson was only level par when he reached the 15th, but four fabulous birdies on the trot changed everything, and two more pars left him setting the bar on four-under-par. It proved a stroke too far for runner up Benn Barham (Robert Rock Academy) on 68, and the only other player under par was the multiple winner James Ablett (Lee-on-the-Solent) on 69, proving Littlestone’s calibre.

Wilson turned the day at his former hunting ground into a clean sweep in more ways than one, taking his amateurs to victory in the team event by two strokes ahead of Mark Collins’s Littlestone team.