Youth victorious as Wiltshire win at Woodbury
23/09/2014
Wiltshire's winning trio: (l-r) Barry Forster, Ross McCance, Mark Searle
A young Wiltshire side showed youth can triumph over experience as they qualified to play in the SkyCaddie PGA England & Wales Inter-County Championship final at the Belfry.
The trio of Ross McCance (Chippenham), Barry Forster (North Wilts) and Mark Searle (High Post) were the youngest team in the regional qualifier at Woodbury Park with an average age of just 28.
But that didn’t stop them from taking the initiative early on, carding four birdies over the first nine holes followed by an eagle at the 10th to put them on course for a six-under-par score of 138.
That was enough to give them a two-shot win over nearest rivals Dorset, who were unable to keep pace with the Wiltshire side despite carding an eagle of their own at the fourth hole.
Wiltshire will now go on to play in the £10,000 grand final over the PGA National Course at the Belfry.
The Warwickshire venue is renowned globally as the home of the Ryder Cup after hosting the event four times, in 1985, 1989, 1993 and 2002.
“I’ve only ever seen the Belfry on TV, so to go there and play will be a great experience,” enthused Forster.
“We did really well out there, I think our strong point was our putting.
“It always helps to be good on the greens, but that was especially important today with the weather being good and the other teams putting in good performances.”
The youngest member of the team McCance, 24, is relishing the opportunity to make a first trip to the Belfry, a year after becoming a PGA Professional.
“I can’t wait to get over to the Belfry, it’ll be my first time and it’s a great opportunity to go and play there so soon after turning pro.
“My ambition after I’ve finished my training is to hopefully make a career out of playing, so going to the Belfry will be a good step in the right direction.
“Obviously I’m really focused on getting my head down now though on The PGA’s degree programme – its hard work but I’m really enjoying it.
Searle, who represented Tennessee State as an amateur while he was studying, admitted he enjoyed a return to team golf.
“It’s great to represent your county in an event like this,” he explained.
“It’s not often as a pro that you get to play in a team, I always enjoyed it as an amateur and now hopefully we can go to the Belfry and do well.
“I’ve played there before and it’s a great venue, I think we all just want to get out there and see what we can do now!”
