George Ryall wins

Senior title by five

from Bill Lockie

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE PGA
George Ryall underlined his class at Northants County Golf Club today when he outplayed the rest of the field to win the Senior PGA Club Professional Championship by all of five shots.
In his rookie year as a senior, the 50-year-old from Bristol, having begun the day two strokes ahead of defending champion, Bill Lockie, eventually pulled away, thanks to a rampant inward half which gave up four birdies in five holes from the 12th.
That finally added up to a two-under 68 for an aggregate of 208.
“This win means so much to me, especially in my first year as a senior,” said Ryall. “They’re all my peer group or players whom I’ve looked up to for years.”
Another major benefit is the ‘leg-up’ his victory gives him in gaining access to the European Senior Tour – “That’s where I want to be.”
He’ll now tee up with the top elder statesmen of the Continent’s 50-and-over players at Northumberland’s Slaley Hall in a month’s time in the De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship.
Lockie, partnering the eventual winner, made a robust defence of his title, taking second place on 213 after a final round of 71. The Scot actually wiped out the two-shot gap after the opening hole, where Ryall went through the back of the green, while Lockie chipped in for a birdie.
But Ryall was unstoppable. After two-putting every green from the second to the 11th, he caught fire, hitting the short 12th to 10 feet and holing, laying a sand iron 20 feet past at the next, again deftly despatched, and then at the short 15th sinking a right-to-left curler that must have been all of 45 feet.
Before caution set in on the remaining two holes, he again watched a birdie putt disappear from 15 feet at the uphill, par-4 16th.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 210 (3x70)
208 George Ryall (Players Club) 73 67 68.
213 Bill Lockie (North Gailes) 72 70 71.
214 Murray White (Penfold Park) 74 69 71.
216 Peter Barber (Didsbury) 73 71 72.
217 John McTear (Mar Hall) 73 72 72.
218 Alan Hemsley (Norfolk) 72 72 74, Donald Stirling (Wien-Sussenbrunn) 68 75 75, Michael Greenough (Ashton & Lea) 70 73 75.
219 Garry Harvey (Kinross Golf) 75 70 74, Peter O'Hagan (PM Corporate) 73 72 74, Mitch Kierstenson (Searle's Leisure) 71 72 76.