Father and son grand final at Vale do Lobo

NOBODY COULD KEEP UP WITH THE

JONESES IN PORTUGAL

NEWS RELEASE
Peter Jones and his son Mark have won the prestigious national amateur Daily Telegraph Wilson father-and-son match-play championship in Portugal.
The duo, members at Blue Mountain GC at Binfield, ultimately beat off the challenge of more than 1,500 other pairs to lift the trophy at the Vale do Lobo resort, on the Algarve coast.
Four match-play victories and success in a regional final earned them return flights to Portugal, provided by Monarch, five nights’ accommodation at the luxurious Vale do Lobo resort and five rounds of golf – a practice round, followed by four competitive rounds: two each on the Royal Course and the spectacular Ocean Course.
After the first two rounds, the Joneses’ better-ball Stableford total of 83 points (39, 44) placed them third, four points behind leaders Phil Bailey and Matt Oliver, from Branston GC, in Staffordshire.
But, in the third round, father Peter, 61, from Bracknell, playing off 14, and Mark, a 37-year-old, 13-handicapper now living in Stanwell, repeated their excellent second-round score of 44 points back on the Ocean course to give them a three-point advantage going into the final day.
Going out in the final group on the fourth day, the Joneses consolidated their lead with a 20-point front nine and a solid back nine of 18 gave them victory by two points from the Irish pairing of Paul Delargy and Brendan McNaughton, from Cushendall GC.
A delighted Mark, a regional manager for a security company, said: “To be honest the first emotion was relief. We knew we had to score on the final hole and I’ve never been quite as nervous walking down the 18th on any golf course.
“It was a fabulous week and knowing we’d actually won the event just made it even better. If you ask any club match-play golfer which event they prefer to play in it’s this one – everybody would like to win this as it’s the best event of its kind. It’s so professional.
“For the finals week we just turned up and played golf – everything else is laid on for you. Both of us are entering again this year – in both the pairs and the singles.”
A further three points back in third place were Glen McKay and Vince Ley, representing the former Ryder Cup venue of Lindrick GC.
In total, 19 pairs qualified for the grand final in Portugal , having fought their way through four rounds of knock-out matchplay and a regional final to secure a place on the plane.
In the individual event, James Voce, a seven-handicap investment banker from Gorstyhill GC, Cheshire , won with a seven-point advantage over his nearest rival, Barry King ( Wimbledon Park ). More than 450 individuals had started out in the competition before the knock-out matchplay saw the field reduced to the six finalists in Portugal .
Voce said: “The final exceeded my expectations. The resort was fantastic with the golf courses in immaculate condition and the camaraderie between the competitors was excellent. The £26 entry fee was the best investment I made in 2009.”
Entries for the 2010 event close on May 14; regional rounds begin in June, with the grand final once again being held in Portugal in January 2011.
■ To be a part of next year’s event enter online at http://www.volvogolf.co.uk/ or call 0845 466 2222
RESULTS
PAIRS
1 Mark Jones & Peter Jones (Blue Mountain) 165pts
2 Paul Delargy & Brendan McNaughton (Cushendall) 163
3 Glen McKay & Vince Ley (Lindrick) 160
4 Mark Williams & Nick Zacharius (The Warwickshire) 157
5 Phil Bailey & Matt Oliver (Branston) 155
6 (equal) Ben Prior & Lloyd Nutley (North Foreland) and Andrew Holmes & Mark Roberts (Headingley) 151
8 Lewis Scott & Max Budgen (Leighton Buzzard) 149
9 Ian Cooper & Chris Salmon (Beau Desert) 148
10 (equal) Michael Cook & Jason Murdoch (Cams Hall) and Jason Allies & Neil Allies (The Worcestershire) 146
12 Paul Hesp & John Stockdale (Selby) 146
13 Peter Hill & Matt Clarke (Hallamshire) 145
14, Michael Jones & Jon Roberts (Cruden Bay) 138
15 (equal) Phil Young & Paul Ellis (Lymm) and Luke Halsey & Nigel Nash (Thames Ditton) 137
17 Andrew Morris & Matt Ford (Holsworthy) 135
18 Matt Browne & Karl Jones (Kendleshire) 129
19, Paul Lamb & Steve Lewington (Newbury & Crookham) 127.
SINGLES
1 James Voce (Gorstyhill) 137pts; 2 Barry King ( Wimbledon Park ) 130; 3 Mark Higgins (Cottesmore) 127; 4 Dan Jones (Barnham Broom) 117; 5 Kenneth White ( Farleigh Court ) 113; 6 Mark Robertson (Torphin Hill) 101.