Powerade PGA Assistants' Championship qualifier

Mark Barnard, bad experience three years ago (Image by courtesy of Matthew Lewis, Getty Images).

Why Mark Barnard is not going down to

Auchterarder for a practice round

NEWS RELEASE FROM PGA

As the flagship event for Britain’s top young golf professionals approaches, Inchmarlo’s Mark Barnard knows he should do the right thing.

And that is – go for a practice round at Auchterarder before the Scottish qualifying round there on Monday, May 11 for the Powerade PGA Assistants’ Championship, in association with FootJoy. But the Perthshire course, which runs cheek-by-jowl with the PGA Centenary course at Gleneagles Hotel, has never been a happy hunting ground for the 23-year-old Scot, now in his final year of PGA training at Inchmarlo Golf Centre.

“I did what seemed to be the right thing three years ago, travel down from Banchory (Aberdeenshire) for a practice round, and went round in something like six or seven under par,” he said.

“So what happens on the competition day? Let’s just say I had some bad experiences on the greens – I just couldn’t get the ball in the hole. So there and then I decided that, as far as Auchterarder was concerned, practice rounds were a no-no.

“So I won’t be going anywhere near the course until I tee off in the qualifier.”

Barnard is proving this early in the season that he’s one of the brighter prospects on the horizon. He fired a five-under 66 in winning the Linksland Series at Dunbar, beating another Auchterarder entrant, Gareth Wright from West Linton (Peebleshire) in a play-off.

From someone relatively new to competitive golf, a sharp contrast among the 50 entrants occurs in the shape of 34-year-old David Patrick. A regular member of his university team in Charleston, South Carolina, as long ago as 1994, the 6ft.4in. Edinburgh man, now based at Elie Sports Club, Fife, can boast a fine pedigree in the game.

A member of the 1999 winning Walker Cup team and winner on the Challenge Tour four years ago, Patrick has belatedly decided to enroll on the PGA’s three-year foundation degree in professional golf studies - but that hasn’t adversely affected his own game.

He tied second in the first of the Linksland Series, at Kingsbarns, and easily qualified for the Wateraid Pro-am final with a par-72 at Kilmarnock Barassie two weeks ago.

The splendid London Club near Brands Hatch will again host the PGA Assistants’ Championship final over 54 holes from August 12-14. And in association with FootJoy, each of the 120 finalists who survive seven qualifying rounds throughout Britain and Ireland will be provided with shoes and gloves. Guy Woodman (East Herts) will be defending the title.

Richard Baldwin of Coca Cola Enterprises added: “We at CCE are pleased to sponsor the Powerade PGA Assistants' Championship for the sixth year running. We are looking forward to the event and wish everyone the best of luck at the regional rounds and look forward to the final at The London Club in August.”

+++Competitor draw and full list of entries for the event at Auchterarder can be found under ‘Schedule, Scores and Results’ at http://www.pga.info/PGAAssistantsChampionship.aspx