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Just Finished: Bradford (Hawksworth) Golf Club (16/09/09) : View event report & photo gallery

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Bradford (Hawksworth) Golf Club posted 17/09/09 17:16

WRAGG AND MARSH ON TOP AT BRADFORD

Robert Wragg and Matt Marsh shared top spot in the final event of the 2009 summer schedule on 5 under 66 at Bradford.

More to follow.

Prestatyn Golf Club posted 11/09/09 20:40

VALENTI SECURES DEBUT TOUR WIN AT PRESTATYN

Priors Heyes' Freddy Valenti saw his straeak of second day form continue as he stormed through the filed with a 6 under 66 at Prestatyn to add to his 1 over 73 at Caldy to secure a one shot win in our penultimate event of the regular season. Despite lying only midway in the field overnight Freddy surged past a small but high quality field to pick up the £1,000 first prize.

In second place were overnight leader Dale Marmion and Jamie Howarth on 4 under closely followed by Steve Capper and Rob Hearty.

In joint 6th were Order of Merit winner Marcus Armitage, whose 68 took the second day honours with Freddy having concentrated soley on the main event, and Richard Fitzgerald.

The amateurs were headed once again by Olly Smith whose steady 75, 73 for 4 over was enough for a 3 shot win.

Full results for the two day event are shown below with prize money and orderer of merit points included in the prestatyn results to ensure the database is updated correctly.

1st Freddy Valenti 139

2nd Jamie Howarth 140

Dale Marmion

4th Steve Capper 141

Rob Hearty

6th Marcus Armitage 142

Richard Fitzgerald

8th Grant Hamerton 143

Will Fox

10th Danny Belch 144

Sandeep Grewal

Nick McCarthy

13th Ian Keenan 145

14th Dave Wilcock 146

Paul Dwyer

16th Jon Cheetham 147

Tom Atkinson

18th Adam McCabe 148

19th Shaun Angel 150

20 th Tom Murray 151

Graham Neville

Scott Howarth

23rd James Housby 152

24th Rob Henderson 154

Nathan Dunn

26th Alex Evans 156

Paul Gavaghan

RTD Jon Coppack

Scott Fitzgerald

Caldy Golf Club posted 11/09/09 19:33

MARMION AND McCARTHY LEAD OVERNIGHT AFTER CALDY

After a day of perfect conditions Dale Marmion and Nick McCarthy came out on top after the first round at Caldy after 3 under rounds of 69.

Despite the conditions no one was able to go low although the benign weather saw five players in at 70, 2 under, with four more on 71.

The seciond day sees us return to Prestatyn where a low round could see anyone of nearly twenty players, in a small field, secure the first prize of £1,000.

Fulford GC posted 26/08/09 20:17

IT'S EDWARDS AND HEMPSTOCK AT A WINDY FULFORD

The Tour once again saw testing conditions on our first visit to Fulford with strong gusting winds and a series of rain showers presenting a challenge more suited to October than August.

Despite this some high quality scoring was produced on a day which saw the front 9 play particularly long. Leading the way were Matt Edwards and Mike Hempstock on 2 under 70 just pipping James Harper on 71 alone in third.

The five way tie in 4th on level included Ronan Rafferty while Marcus Armitage on 73 did enough to secure the Order of Merit title for 2009.

Ronan's 72 was enoughto pip Richard Masters 74 for the seniors win while Olly Smith on 78 took the amateurs prize as the others all struggled with the conditions.

Huddersfield (Fixby Hall) GC posted 17/08/09 19:02

MURRAY AND CLARKE ON TOP AT FIXBY

After two near misses Tom Murray secured his first Players Tour win as he tied Chris Clarke on 3 under 68 on a windy day at Fixby.

The Tour's first visit to Yorkshire saw a quality field battle th blustery conditions as Marcus Armitage looked to secure the 2009 Order of Merit title from close rivals Barry Taylor and Danny Belch. With Barry absent from the event Danny kept up his outside hopes with a tie for fourth as Marcus slipped, by his standards, to fourteenth.

Tom kept up his late charge towards the top 10 with another very steady performance matched by in form Chris who also won the Leeds Cup later in the week.

Alone in third was Paul Wesselingh on 69, which comfortably took the senior event as well, showing the sort of consistency which has seen him make six consecutive PGA Cup teams. He will be joined next month by Barry Taylor in this years team at The Carrick, Loch Lomond.

Five players tied for fourth on one under in another tight battle as seen in many of this seasons events.

Local man Richard Broadley easliy secured the amateur prize on 73.

North Manchester GC posted 04/08/09 21:43

JACKSON IGNORES SLIP TO SECURE A HAT- TRICK OF WINS AT NORTH MANCHESTER

When Scott Jackson teed off at North Manchester only to discover two putters in his bag resulting in 15 clubs and a two shot penalty little did he know what was to follow. A birdie, bogey with the penalty, at the first immediately repaired some of the damage with an eagle at the 4th taking him under par. Three more birdies followed before his only, playing, slip at the 16th for a bogey saw him sign for a 68 despite the penalty.

Such was Scott's dominance on the day the only other player to break par was Tom Murray with a one under 70. Itwas a timely birthday present for his mum and saw him leap into the top ten of the order of merit.

In third were the in form Jason Ashton and Danny Belch along with Jonathan Cheetham who continued his return to form evident in recent weeks, all on level par 71. With 5 more players on 72 and another 7 on 73 it was another tight day for the minor placings.

Jeff Matthews secured the seniors on 74 with Nigel Hallowes the amateurs on 75.

With the Order of Merit nearing it's conclusion Marcus Armitage, 72, took a big step towards completeing his success with events in hand while Danny Belch closed the gap on Bary Taylor. With prize money down to tenth and the possibility of two rearranged fixtures in September the second to tenth spots are still up for grabs.

Ringway GC posted 31/07/09 15:37

ARMITAGE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE AT RINGWAY

Marcus Armitage increased his already healthy lead in the Order of Merit with a classy 67 at Ringway. He was joined at the top on 4 under by Peter Richardson showing a welcome return to form with tour debtant Neil Rowlands on 69 the only other player under the 70 mark.

With this his third win of the season Marcus took his 2009 earnings on the Tour to over £6,000 a figure which is sure to increase over the remaining few events and with the possibility of winning the ISM Order of Merit Award of the fee for Tour School.

In joint fourth were Grant Hamerton, continuing his very steady season but still seeking his first win, and Darren Cain. Closely followed by four more players on71 and six more on 72.

The seniors section saw a tie between Peter Allan and Brian Sharrock on 72 while Olly Smith earned a comfortable win in the amateurs on 74 as the others struggled on the day.

Marcu now has a commanding but not unassailable lead in the Order of Merit while Barry Taylor will be watching the others closely as he seeks to mount a late challenge on Marcus' lead while retaining the second place position. With cash awards down to 10th there's still a large number of players who could feature in the Top Ten yet.

Hesketh GC posted 25/07/09 07:39

BELCH DOMINATES AT HESKETH

Danny Belch was in top form as he secured top spot at Hesketh with a classy 3 under 68. Less than a week after a club fitting sesion saw him make a significant change to his shafts his card was all 3's and 4's with the exception of the par 5 seventh where his 30 yard chip ran through the green resulting in three more to get down for a 6. This was not enough to upset a solid ball striking day assisted by the extra yardage he has acquired by switching shafts.

In an otherwise tight day of scoring four players returned one under 70's, Grant Hamerton, whose solid season continues, Mike Kanski, frustrated after a 5, 6 finish, Jamie Howarth and Scott Jackson, just faling short of the first hat trick of wins on the Tour.

With a further 5 players on 71 and 7 more on 72 the course once again provided a tough test for the field.

Peter Allan shortly to debut on the Seniors Tour secured the 45 and over section on 72 closely pursued by Ronan Rafferty whose rare birdie 3 at the 18th for a 73 pipped Jeff Matthews at the death for second spot.

Graham Roberts from Eaton took the Amateur section on 74 on an otherwise frustrating day for the amateurs.

With Marcus Armitage recovering from an unlucky early lost ball to tie main challenger Barry Taylor on 71 the top 2 in the Order of Merit remain unchanged. Danny's win saw him leapfrog Oliver Whitlely (72) into third place. With 4 events remaining plus hopefully one or two more to replace the cancelled Hill Valley event the race is not yet over for Marcus while the other 5 spots which will receive prize money remain up for grabs.

Fairhaven GC posted 22/07/09 15:00

SCOTT DOES IT AGAIN AT FAIRHAVEN

Scott Jackson put his disappointment at missing out at the Final Qualifying for the Open behind him as his 65 produced only the second clear winner of the season at Fairhaven. With his tie at the top at Hopwood he now goes for the treble at Hesketh.

In second place was Marcus Armitage, after a titanic stuggle with Bary Taylor, with a 67 to Barry's 68. It was only a 4 birdie finish which gave Marcusa the edge as he took a big step towards securing the Order of Merit when it had looked like Barry, the 2008 winner, was going to close the gap.

In fourth was the ever consistent Gary Wolstenholme, himself back from Final Qualifying, on 69 which was also good enough for top spot again in the seniors.

On a day of low scoring 6 players tied on 70 with a further 7 players on 71.

The amateur section saw Peter Nicholson again take first place with a very creditable 71.

Pike Fold GC - Fourball Championship posted 10/07/09 11:46

TWO WAY TIE AT PIKE FOLD

Host pro Grant Hamerton partnering Joe Senior earned a share of top spot with Dave Green and big hitting Mike Hollingworth on 8 under 63 on a breezy day at Pike Fold.

In a small but high quality field, headed by runner up in the '86 Open at Turnberry, Gordon Brand they pipped Marcus Armitage with his amarteur patner Ian Bardsley by one shot. It was a great effort by Marcus, who made 9 birdies on his own, as 5 handicap Ian was forced to play off scratch.

Three pairs tied for third on 65 Gordon Brand and James Hepworth, Haminder Matharu and Jonathan Pearson, and Danny Belch and Chris Geraghty.

Hazel Grove GC posted 03/07/09 19:56

THREE WAY TIE AT RAINY GROVE

After a rainy day at Hazel Grove, which saw a 2 1/2 hour rain delay in the mid morning, we eventually saw a three way tie at the top on 3 under 68 Between Jason Ashton, Scott Jackson and in form Alex Belt.

More to follow.

Manchester (Hopwood) GC posted 30/06/09 11:59

CHEETHAM AND WHITELEY IN RECORD FORM AT MANCHESTER

Gatley's Jonathan Cheetham and Hillsborough's Oliver Whiteley were in record stting form at the newly lengthened Manchester Hopwood course tieing for top spot on 4 under 68.

On a day when a number of players trhreatened to produce a low score only to fall foul of the course's testing finish it was those which mastered the final few holes who took the top places.

Oliver played the last four holes in par with Jon producing a magnificent birdie on the 17th to earn his share at the Top. Danny Wardrop just missed out on his birdie attempts at the last two settling, as he had at Caldy, for third this time outright.

Sharing fourth spot were Matt Hough, whio had been 5 under at one point, Marcus Armitage and Dave Smith. With a further 6 players on one under 71.

Andrew Baguley secured the seniors win with a steady 71 while Tour regular Oliver Pantoja picked up another win this time with a slightly disappointing 76.

Wychwood Park GC (2 days) posted 03/06/09 21:37

ARMITAGE HOLDS ON AT WYCHWOOD

Howley Hall's Marcus Armitage continued his dominance of the Players Tour as he completed the tour's first outright win in regulation time in 2009 at Wychwood Park.

On a breezy first day Marcus got off to a flier with birdies on the first four holes seeing him moving quickly to 4 under where he duly finished on 68 to secure a two shot overnight lead. In close attendance were Tim Dykes, showing the form which saw him play all four days at the European Tour event at Celtic Manor, and 49 year old Gary Wolstenholme continuing his fine early form on the tour as a member of the professional ranks.

On 71 overnight were Scott Howarth, who had seemed on course for a sensational round when sizing up a putt to go 7 under on the 12th before the course bit back on the testing back 9, brother Jamie and Dave Wilcock.

With a further ten players on 73 or 74 the event looked like producing another tense finish.

The second day saw the sun return with little wind to challenge the players, though this has the disadvantage of giving no downwind assistance on the testing 7,200 yard plus course.

Of the early starters it was Neil Cheetham, on a visit back from South Africa, who was first to threaten the leaders with a 69, 7 shots better than day one giving a competitive 145 one over total.. Few others were able to make a move although Chris Geraghty (70) and Tom Murray (72) did show welcome second day improvements.

It soon became a battle of the final threesome with only Jamie Howarth able to move into the fray. Sadly for Jamie he came to grief on the last two holes when after reaching three under he saw these all slip away although his level par 144 finally removed Neil Cheetham from the clubhouse lead.

Back in the 18th fairway Gary (level) had already laid up with Marcus on 2 under also deciding caution was the order of the day. Tim one back at one under produced a magnificent three wood which pitched barely three feet from the difficult back left pin only to hop a few feet into the fringe to leave a tricky downhill chip.

Marcus perhaps mindful of the mishaps which had befallen Jamie moments earlier sensibly pitched up 20 feet short of the pin. With Gary's renowned short game for once failing him, his pitch falling short resulting in a 6 and a tie for 4th at 145, only Tim could deny Marcus. Unfortunately his chip didn't release pulling up 5 feet short. Marcus's birdie slipped by for a cast iron 5 and 142 leaving Tim his putt for the tie. It lipped the hole but stayed out giving Marcus another win to back up his win at St Annes, third at Caldy and 4th at Harlech.

The win sees Marcus establish a healthy lead in the Order of merit from Tim, who's Challenge Tour commitments may deny him the chance to keep in touch, and Barry Taylor a recent victim of some unlucky tee times in the worst of the weather and some tough breaks on the course.

With the Tour barely at the halfway stage others remain in touch, notably Danny Belch, Oliver Whitley and Chris Clarke. Tour iron man Grant Hamerton has also slipped quietly into 5th.

Gary's steady play seeing him challenge in the regular field had the added bonus of securing his third senior win out of three attempts again from Senior Tour bound Peter Allan, shortly to debut on the European Seniors Tour in July.

Olly Smith in the amateurs completed a clean sweep for the overnight leaders his 149 comfortably securing top spot.

The Tour now moves on to a series of one dayers initially at the always well turned out Hopwood and Hazel Grove before we're links bound again with Fairhaven and Hesketh in July.

Royal St David's (Harlech) GC (2 days) posted 30/05/09 15:10

HARRIS BIRDIES THE FIRST PLAY-OFF HOLE TO DENY MURRAY HIS MAIDEN PRO WIN - NEW COURSE RECORD 64 FOR KELLY

Rob Harris enjoyed his break from the Challenge Tour as he birdied the 18th for the second time in a matter of minutes to deny Tom Murray, son of former European Open winner Andrew Murray, his maiden pro win. Consolation for Tom was his progress up the Order of Merit table as he jumped over 40 places into the top 20

With both players birdieing the 201 yard par three in regulation play it was another great finish on what is becoming the country's most competitive pro Tour. Tom had rolled his effort up to tap in distance when Rob cooly slotted home his 18 footer almost an exact replica of the first time around.

On a bright but slightly breezy first day the leader board saw a large number of players jostle for position at the top of the leaderboard. Finally late on Jason Dransfield returned a 2 under 67 to lead from Duncan Maffey and Ricky Lee on 68 with 5 more on 69 and 13 more on 70 and 71.

The second day saw summer arrive with a bang with blue skies and brilliant sunshine. First to respond was Phil Kelly who showed his debut pro win earlier in the week was no fluke as he returned a NEW COURSE RECORD 64 after a disappointing 75 had left him well back. His 1 over 139 total held out until the last three groups, ultimately securing outright fifth.

James Mason, Harry Proos and Dave Clark all had chances to tie but fell one shy on 140.

Finally the third last group containg Tom Murray and Rob Harris arrived at the 17th to suggest that Phil's efforts were going to be just short. Soon after Marcus Armitage returned his second 69 to secure 4th, a result which saw him just overtake Barry Taylor at the head of the Order of Merit. This race promises to go to the wire with both players committed to securing the ISM award and many others starting to show form. With the Tour not yet at the half way stage there is a long way to go.

Of the three leaders only Ricky Lee managed to maintain his challenge falling just short in third on 1 under 137.

Gary Wolstenholme produced a second win in the senior section with solid rounds of 72, 71 seeing him just shy of the money in the main field but secuing the win in the 45 and over section from Peter Allan on 147.

Peter Nicholson produced a superb secon round 71 only marred by a 6, 4 finish to return 146 to secure the amateur section from Oliver Pantoja starting to show some better form as he gears up for the main season.

The event itself was a great success with the Captain of Royal St David's on hand to present the winer his cheque. The club have confirmed that the Tour is welcome to return in 2010, an invitation which we will be only too happy to accept.

Caldy GC posted 22/05/09 11:26

BELT AND DAVIES SHARE THE WIN AFTER ANOTHER TIGHT FINISH

Alex Belt continued his hot streak at Caldy as he secured another win this time tying with Gareth Davies on 3 under 69. Alex is currently one of the north's form players and surely destined to move up in the game while Gareth, a 2 time Challenge Tour winner, has recently seen his ranking slip back but is keen for some competitive golf as he waits for some Tour starts this season.

On a day where the first quarter of the field saw very difficult conditions of strong winds and heavy rain , especially the first few groups five more players shared third on 70. The highlight of these was undoubtedly Alex Murrell with a 7.54 start, picking up 4 late strokes for his 70.

In contrast the rest of the field saw the weather produce some sunshine at llast as the winds remained but did gradually ease during the day.

Another on the 2 under mark was amateur legend Gary Wolstenholme, now in the pro ranks as he seeks to build towards a career on the Seniors Tour. Gary is keen to add the Tour to his schedule as he seeks opportunities to test himself against the other 'seniors' as well as the rest of the pro's.

Alongside these were Llangollen winner James Hepworth and Danny Wardrop, both in the same position as Gareth as they await Challenge Tour starts. With Marcus Armitage, now settling down in the pro ranks, completeing thiose on 70. Danny and James both had a chance to tie at the top as they just failed to get up and down at the 18th having to settle for par 5's when a birdie was required.

Gary's succesful debut saw him take the senior win from Jeff Matthews and Richard Masters, both starting to show some form taking 2nd and 3rd on 72 and 74 respectively. While the amateur ranks saw Tour stalwart Oliver Pantoja return a tidy 73 for a clear win.

The Tour's next stops are at two top venues. First is the classic links of Royal St David's - Harlech, a course which features in the top 10 of many players, and the very testing Wychwood Park in Cheshire which provides a stern examination of the best players games.

St Anne's Old Links GC posted 08/05/09 21:28

TAYLOR AND ARMITAGE SHARE TOP SPOT AT ST ANNES OLD LINKS

2008 Order of Merit winner Barry Taylor and Winter Order of Merit winner Marcus Armitage both returned one under 71's on the newly extended, superbly conditioned St Annes Old Links in windy conditions.

It was a timely return to form for both players with Barry notching his third Tour victory and Marcus his first full win after a succesful winter. Barry's score was a great example of perseverance as he stood on the 8th tee 3 over, a birdie there followed by a three birdie back nine saw him finally reach red figures on the 18th.

Marcus was the steadier with 9's of 36 and 35 closing out with six straight pars. The win was his biggest cheque yet having turned pro late in 2008.

Alone in third was veteran Mark Mouland on level par 72 which also saw him secure the 'seniors' section from old rival Paul Eales 74. Paul's round was a fine effort having taken a triple bogey 8 at the 5th.

Sharing fourth were James Ashmore and Robert Booth on 73 with six players in a tie for sixth on 74.

The amateur section saw 2008 Order of Merit winner Olly Smith pipped on a back nine card play-off by Peter Nicholson both returning 76. With possibly the best round of the day returned by 5 handicap Mark Davin whose 77 just missed out but secured third.

The day was a great success highlighted by the magnificent course which received unanimous praise from the entire field. The only complaint heard was from one competitor who found the greens to be too good for his putting stroke!

With the Tour now seeing strong entries in all sections the coming events promise to be equally competitive as we still seek our first outright winner of the year after four play-offs in the two dayers and two-way ties here and at West Lancs.

Leasowe GC (2 days) posted 03/05/09 18:48

DYKES EDGES OUT BELT IN PLAYOFF

First round co-leader Tim Dykes from Wrexham saw off the challenge of Yorkshire's inform Alex Belt on the second play-off hole after both returned 8 under totals at a cool and breezy Leasowe.

It had all looked very different on a calm first day after the early morning rain passed through. Dykes, delaying his Challenge tour campaign until mid May in France, was first to take advantage with a seven birdie return 65 the only blemish being a 5 on the 467yard 10th. Despite many players making a run at him he remained alone at the top until Paul Dwyer (Clitheroe) produced an immaculate 6 birdie return to share the lead at six under.

The two enjoyed a two shot lead from Conwy winner Ian Ridgway, Alex Belt and new pro Tom Murray, son of the former European Open Champion Andrew Murray, on 67. Four more players were on 3 under including West Lancs winner Danny Belch and Worsley's John Cheetham who has been in good form in the winter months.

The second day saw a change in the conditions. A much cooler breeze from a different direction suggested a more difficult day for scoring. The strength of the wind was soon evidenced with the par three 18th requiring a 4 or even 3 iron for most of the field.

Despite the obviously more testing conditions ISM's Danny Dennison, continuing his recovery from injury in 2007, returned the lowest round on the Tour to date. His 20 foot birdie effort lipped the hole but failed to drop for a nine under 62. An eight under 63 did however show his class after a self confessed 'idiotic' 77 on the first day.Remarkably his card didn't include a birdie at the five shortest par 4's but did include 3's at the 483 yard 4th and 467 yard 10th. It looks like he will soon be ready to rejoin the Challenge tour on his Medical Exemption.

Contrary to Danny's score the other early returns suggested that overnight expectations of the winning total needed to be revised upwards. As the field moved through the 11th 4 or 5 under was the popular total for the leaders until Dykes posted 8 under retaining his two shot lead as Dwyer had remained at 6 under.

The final holes proved testing for the chasing pack and with only John Cheetham able to post 6 under with his second 68 to set the target.

The final group arrived on the 18th tee with Dwyer still at 6 under and Dykes at 8. Belt had showed his recent form was no fluke with three birdies to tie Dykes at 8 under. All three players found the green for two putt pars leaving Dykes and Belt to contest the play-off.

After the second visit to the 18th with Belt unlucky not to convert a 10 foot birdie try the players moved onto the short 12th where Dykes clinched the victory with another solid par.

The Senior section saw a tight match overnight with tour regular Brian Sharrock edging the spoils on 144 closely pursued by Pete Allan at 146 and Peter Seal on 147.

The Tour now moves into May with a high quality series of vunues haeded by Stt Annes Old Links next Thursday then followed by Hesketh, Caldy and Royal St David's.

Vale of Llangollen GC (2days) posted 25/04/09 09:46

A last hole slip from European Tour star Phil Archer allowed Ilkley's James Hepworth the chance to steal top spot on the first play-off hole at the superbly presented Vale of Llangollen.

Phil looked to have the edge over Harry Proos after a high class birdie on Llangollen's famous 9th hole moving to 9 under with Harry at 8. Up front the other players seemed to be battling for the places with James eventually setting the ckubhouse lead at 6 under.

As the final group moved through the back nine local man Lee Rooke, recovering from a double at the 9th, seemed to have left it too late until Phil and Harry both came to grief on the greens late on.

After a series of three putts first Harry then Phil slipped back leaving Phil with a one shot advantage on the last tee at 7 under with Lee's super cool birdie on 17 seeing him suddenly back in the thick of things at 6 under.

The drama continued on the uphill par three 18th with Lee's tee shot finishing on the road to the right and Phil on the geen but some distance from the hole and on the lower tier. After some discussion as to the exact spot for Lee's free drop he played an excellent chip from a very difficult position only to watch it trickle onto the slope and the lower tier leaving him too much to do to save his par. His tap in 4 saw him share third with James Whatley, Oliver Whitley and Roger Chapman.

Despite giving it his full attention Phil's putt for the win slipped by and James, who had been so convinced he'd missed out that he'd set off for home only to be called back, found himself heading for the 18th tee again.

Two solid tee shots later, both struck straight at the flag, the advantage rested with James as Phil was once again on the lower tier. In a repeat of the scene minutes earlier his positive effort slipped a few feet by leaving James with the chance to win it with a birdie. In a somewhat anticlimatic finish James lipped out only for Phil to suffer the same fate as previously as his par putt slipped by.

Full credit to James as his second round 69 was one of only two under 70 and the joint best on a much more difficult day for scoring after the birdie bonanza enjoyed by many in the perfect conditions on Monday.

The seniors was once again taken by Roger Chapman from his old rival Mark Mouland with the battle for third secured by Andrew Baguley. Our regulars will be happy to wish Roger well as he embarks on both the European Seniors and to the USPGA Seniors next month!

Neil Jones from Vicars Cross saw a welcome return to form to win the amateur section his highlight being his first day level par 72.

The Tour would like to thank all at the Vale of Llangollen club for their first class hospitality and superbly presented course and to ADAMS and Nick Hibbs with the Tour van seeing much interest and requests on the first of what we hope will be several visits to events this year.

Conwy (Caernarvonshire) Golf Club (2 days) posted 25/04/09 09:57

RIDGEWAY BIRDIE SECURES PLAYOFF WIN AFTER A SCARE AT CONWY

Ian Ridgeway collects his cheque from the Tours Richard Walker

A magnificent birdie at the first play-off hole, the fearsome 17th, secured Ian Ridgeway his first Tour win from Aran Wainwright and Tim Maxwell at the superb Conwy Links.

Ian survived a last hole scare when he lost his tee shot in the gorse at the 18th then saw his bogey put lip out to put him in the play-off. Teeing off last on the 17th after both Aran and Tim had safely hit the fairway Ian struck two pure irons to 6 feet and cooly rolled his putt into the middle of the hole.

Aran had set the early clubhouse pace after a 76 first day when he scorched the back nine in 33 4 under for the only sub 70 round of the event signing for a 69. As many players fell foul of the thick gorse bushes surrounding Conwy's famous finish it seemed for a while as if this might be enough. Finally in the second last group Tim with a 4,3 finish forced a tie. Then as news filtered through that overnight leaders Ian and Barry Taylor who had slipped back from one under overnight had both recoved to stand on the 17th tee at one under it seemed that perhaps 145 would fall short.

Barry was first to succumb as many had before him finding the gorse on the 17th and a bogey at the 18th saw him miss out by a shot. Ian meanwhile having secured a solid par on 17 looked to have the event won in normal time until his lapse on the 18th tee.

One consolation for Barry was his return to the top of the order of merit having dominated the table throughout 2008. It's early days but already he's showing his intent to secure the ISM donated entry fee to this year's Tour School.

In the amateur section it turned out to be a battle of young v old with Syd Hodkinson and Paul Dalby giving tour regulars the '2 Ollies' a scare before Oliver Pantoja snuck in on 158, Syd pipped Olly Smith with his better second round 77 to grab second place, despite playing the last 28 holes with a sprained ankle, as two shots seperated the top 4.

The event was a great success with the Tour highly likely to return for two days in 2010 in Wales Ryder Cup year.

West Lancashire GC posted 25/04/09 10:00

BELCH AND CLARKE SHARE THE SPOILS AT A WINDY WEST LANCS

Hillside's Danny Belch and Wath's Chris Clarke saw their 3 over par 75's take top honours at West Lancs.

On a brutal day of high winds and bitterly cold temperatures, combined with some tough pin positions, it soon became apparent that the official par of 72 was merely a notional figure. Barry Taylor, who won last year with 65, returned an early 76 saying that if anything he'd played better depite a score of 11 shots worse! With a number of the Tour's lading players from 2008 also struggling early it was clear that this was again going to be a tough target.

One man who defied the conditions over the front 9 was Duncan Mcarthy who turned in 2 under 34 only to succomb on the back eventually signing for a 78 still good enough for a share of 11th. John Cheetham from Worsley Marriot did it the other way adding a 1 under back 9 of 35 to 42 on the front to share 7th on 77.

It was the 9 o'clock pairing of Chris and Danny joined by Marcus Armitage who produced the best two rounds. Both very steady on the day with Danny securing 3 birdies highlighted by a 4 on the 11th, and Chris one birdie and one eagle on the par 5 7th. These were enough on a day where a bogey was a good score on many holes to help them both to 75 and the top honours.

Sharing third along with Barry on 76 were, David Ames, Nick McCarthy and Tom Maddison. David producing some of the days best figures with 9 straight pars on the back 9.

In the seniors section Ronan Rafferty looked like he might secure the senior section until a double bogey on the 18th dropped him to 80. This let in Shaun Ball and Brian Sharrack who both returned 79 to produce a tie for the top spot.

The amateurs also struggled on in the conditions but tour debutant Graham Jackson also broke 80 with his 79 good enough to push Liam Hunt on 81 into second.

Next up is the magnificent Conwy links, home of many major Championships and host of Final Qualifying for the 2006 Open Championship at Hoylake, for our second 36 hole event on Monday and Tuesday 6/7 April.

Prestatyn GC - (2 days) posted 25/04/09 10:03

CHAPMAN SECURES DEBUT VICTORY AFTER PLAY-OFF

European Tour veteran Roger Chapman opened our 2009 season in sparkling form as he warms up for the European Seniors Tour, clinching the 36 hole event at Prestatyn after a play-off with Dale Marmion, himself Columbia bound with the European Challenge Tour, and King's Norton's Richard Gurney.

Roger Chapman collects his winners cheque from The Captain of Prestatyn Golf Club

The smallish early season field of just over 50 diguised the quality now being attracted to the Players Tour even after only one year. With a number of current and former European and Challenge Tour players in the field in addition to many of last year's top players and new members from further afield scoring always promised to be good.

Pike Fold's Grant Hamerton got the 2009 season underway at 9am eventually returning an excellent one under 71.

By the end of the first day twelve players were under par headed by Chapman and Ben Mason, both warming up for Madiera next week, on three under 69. In close attention were Tim Dykes and Danny Belch on 70 and eight players on 71. Former European number One Ronan Rafferty was on 74 as he begins his return to competitive golf.

The quality of play disguised the steady wind which put three of the par 4's out of reach for many of the field.

Day two saw the wind somewhat kinder although the temperature was a little cooler. Early returns suggested that a good score was possible. Despite this it wasn't until Dale Marmion turnd in 33, 5 under for the tournament, that Ben Mason's lead was threatened. He responded by turning at 6 under with the field back at 2 under.

Dave Smith posted the early clubhouse lead with a 69 for a two under total then Richard Gurney produced two, two under nine's in a 68, the best of the event, to set the target at 140 four under.

As the par 5 18th claimed victims attacking a pin position only a few yards from the out of bounds it soon became clear that this might have a chance. Marmion aware of his postion secured a par to share the lead. Meanwhile Chapman was in the process of closing a four shat deficit on the back nine. After a birdie on the 17th it came down to the 18th where a sparkling three iron to 10 feet gave him an eagle putt for a chance of a 139 total.

Ben Mason who had slipped back to 4 under attacked the flag hoping for a winning birdie only to drift out of bounds seeing him finish one back in fourth at 141. When Chapman's eagle effort slipped by we geared up for our first play-off as the three players headed back to the 18th tee.

Roger struck first finding the 18th in two but both Dale and Richard played excellent third shots to 6 feet only for Dale's birdie effiort to slip by with the others securing their 4's. The players moved onto the testing 16th where Roger played a magnificent approach to barley a foot after Richard had missed the green. The drama nearly continued when from a tricky position Richard chipped to a few inches however the quality of Roger's approach iron left him a straight forward tap in birdie, his fourth consecutive, to start our second season in great style.

Four players shared fifth on 142 with no less than 16 of the field on par or better.

Chapman's eforts also secured the senior section from Rafferty with Olly Smith heading the amateurs.

We now move onto West Lancs, where Barry Taylor opened the Tour with a 65 last year, in two weeks time on Friday 27th March.

Caldy Golf Club - Winter Pro- Am posted 25/04/09 10:05

THREE WAY TIE AT CALDY

Our final winter pro am saw very different conditions at Caldy than Ringway the week before. A very cold wind produced a challenging couse resulting in a three way tie for top honours on one under 71, with Marcus Armitage, Matt Tottey and Steve Parry sharing the spoils from Stuart Andrew on 72 with a four way tie for fith on 73

Marcus's steady form in the three events, which saw him 2nd, 2nd, and 1st, resulted in him comfortably securing the GLENBRAE clothing contract for the top pro over the series.

Steve also led his team, featuring tour regulars Olly Smith(1) and Oliver Pantoja(2) this time partnered by Chris Oldham(9)to top honours in the pro-am section on 11 under after a four way card playoff.

Some of the field will be looking forward to next week when the Tour is co-hosting a 54 hole pairs pro-am in Murcia, Spain, which will hopefully see milder weather.

Meanwhile the regular Season is now only two weeks away when we tee up at Prestatyn to get the 2009 Order of Merit, sponsored by International Sports Management, underway.

Ringway GC - Winter Pro-Am posted 25/04/09 10:06

DANNY DOUBLES UP AT RINGWAY

Our postponed event at Ringway saw a timely double for Danny Wardrop as he topped the pro's field with a five under 66 on a day of low scoring on a superbly presented course. Danny also lead his team to top honours in the pro am on 16 under after a card playoff with Andrew Murray's team.

Home favourite Dave Brunton came in joint second with Marcus Armitage, again at the top end of the leaderboard, both on 67. Tied fourth on 68 were Andrew Murray and Steve Parry with Freddy Valenti and James Sibbles sharing the last placed money on 69.

Danny's round was all the more remarkable after starting with a birdie on the 17th, his first hole, he promptly hit his tee shot out of bounds on the 18th. He managed a birdie with his second ball then proceeded to birdie three of his next five holes to move quickly to three under. Further birdies on the 9th and 15th completed the round as he prepares for the start of the Challenge Tour schedule in March.

The last of the Team pro-ams is at Caldy next week again with a 10 am shotgun start and breakfast included from 8.45ish.

Hesketh Golf Club - Winter Pro-Am posted 25/04/09 10:07

MAXWELL TAKES THE HONOURS AT HESKETH

Our Winter Series finally got underway at a windy Hesketh where Tim Maxwell took the money with a one under 71. In close order on 72 were Freddy Valenti and Marcus Armitage just in front of a three way share of fourth.

The team honours went to the Formby Hall team of Karl Stokes, Kevin Stokes, Gary Millar and pro Ian Finnis with a 12 under return. In second was the TRUE TEMPER team lead by the Tour's main sponsor Dave McCarthy and his two son's Nick and Duncan masquerading of +2 and +1 (!)accompanied by pro Andrew Murray on 9 under.

Ringway GC posted 25/04/09 10:07

TAYLOR AND SMITH HOLD ON TO SECURE THE 2008 ORDER OF MERIT AWARDS AT RINGWAY

Long time leader Barry Taylor held off playing partner Steve Parry to secure the £1,000 Order of Merit Award for 2008,gaining revenge for Steve pipping him to the early season West Coast Swing award. Steve went into the final event with faint hopes of overtaking Barry just as he did at Hesketh, however, there was to be no repeat this time as a rock solid two under return of 69 saw Barry cruise to an ultimately comprehensive win.

Steve did however do enough to hold off fast closing Gary Donnison for the £500 to the runner up award. Gary having to settle, along with Dave Smith and Grant Hamerton, to receiving free entry to the Open Qualifying for 2009.

As this was the final event we would like to express our thanks to our 'Official Starter' and general assistant (!) Roger Altham who attended at all but one event, overseas pro-am duties prevented him appearing on one occassion, for the ultra-effiecient way in which start times were adhered to throughout the year.

In the Amateur section tour regular Olly Smith held on to first place winning the £400 Galvin Green contract offerred by Jonathan Gallagher Golf Agencies pipping Luke Burrows in second place.