Yorkshireman Booth keeps winning run going to secure place in PGA Professional Championship final

Rob Booth says he wants to put his West Yorkshire club on the map after maintaining a 100 per cent start to the year after finishing joint top of the leaderboard at the PGA Professional Championship North qualifying round at Sandiway Golf Club in Cheshire.

Booth, from Outlane Golf Club near Huddersfield, carded a two-under-par round of 69 at the Northwich venue along with Craig Corrigan, of Bolton’s Chili Dip Golf Academy, and Jamie Howarth, from Davenport Golf Club in Stockport.

They will join 22 other qualifiers from the Sandiway event who will play in the £69,500 final to be held at Blairgowrie Golf Club in Scotland between June 15-18.

The leaders shrugged off the wet and windy conditions to book their place in the final. And Booth admitted the year could hardly have gone better for him so far.

“We’re used to those conditions in Yorkshire! But it was a tough back nine,” he said. “But I’ve been playing well and taken part in three events so far - if we class this as a win, I’ve won them all.”

Booth says he did his best to stay sharp during lockdown by practising at home.

“I’ve got my own little studio,” he said, “It’s at my house. I’ve got a little den I built during the last year.”

Booth, who became the PGA Professional at Outlane in 2018, is being sponsored by one of the club members whose company, Abzorb, is also staging their flagship Pro-Am event in June.

“Steve Beeby not only sponsors me but caddies with me as well,” said Booth. “The club have said to me that they want me to be playing and putting the club on the map. So Steve’s backing is invaluable.

“No-one’s really heard of Outlane, but it’s one of the most viewed courses in the north as you can see it from the M62 coming from Manchester.

“Results like this help the club and I just want to play now.”

Mark Pilkington, of Porthmadog Golf Club and winner of the Asbri Golf Welsh PGA Professional Championship in 2019, made a hole in one at the par 3 sixth hole.

CLICK HERE to view the full leaderboard from the PGA Professional Championship North qualifier.

• Categories:
• Tournaments
• PGA Professional Championship
• North
• Cheshire & NW