Darren is made of the Wright

Stuff to win Brabazon Trophy

FROM THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
Darren Wright proved himself right when he won the Brabazon Trophy, supported by SkyCaddie, at Royal Liverpool today, adding his name to an already list of impressive winners, particularly those at Hoylake. (Picture © Tom Ward)
A level par closing round of 72 for 285, three under par, left him four strokes ahead of Simon Richardson, who returned 74, and five clear of Spain’s Adrian Otaegui, whose 70 was the only sub-par round of the day.
“This win means everything to me,” said Wright. “I came here to prove I can compete with the best and with so many good players here this week on such a good course, I can’t explain how I feel. But this proves that all the hard work I’ve put in over the past 18 months is paying off. I have virtually changed my swing under my coach Alan Thompson and this season I’ve felt I have it under control.”
This is the biggest victory of the 21 year old’s career and follows wins in the Carris Trophy in 2006 and the West of England last year. He was capped at boys level but now feels he can achieve the ultimate as an amateur.
“I know there were England selectors here today and hopefully I have laid down a marker,” added the Hampshire man from Rowlands Castle. “If I can get picked for England hopefully I can get into the Walker Cup squad which is my aim. I’d love to play for my country as I’m a true Englishman.”
On another difficult day over the famous links, Wright knew that even par would be a solid return and if he succeeded others would have to go well under par to beat him.
He went out in 33 with four birdies and only had a few problems in a homeward 39. “I got unlucky a few times but some of the pins were tucked away that you couldn’t attack them,” he added.
But with a comfortable lead and no one mounting a challenge, he stood on the 18th tee knowing that he could take a triple-bogey 7 and still lift the trophy. In the event he took a solid par which underlined his class and his supremacy for the week.
Richardson, from Boston in Lincolnshire, was equally delighted to finish runner-up which also marks him as a talent to be watched.
“This is my best result since I started playing amateur golf full time,” he said. “It’s been a great week and this will give me a lot of confidence to compete with the top players. I made a shaky start today and was four over after seven holes but I steadied myself with a birdie at the eighth and came back in 35. The back nine has been kind to me in the last two rounds as I was three under yesterday.
“But it was tough. Everywhere is so dry and the greens were like lightning. It was like putting on glass but they were true although they caught me out a few times.”
Otaegui’s 70 was a complete mixture with an eagle, five birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey but he came home in 34 to secure third spot on his own.
But many of the more fancied players were made to toil in the breeze. Chris Paisley visited sand on every hole from the 13th in his 76 for joint seventh place on 295 with Jack Senior who matched Wright’s 72. Matthew Southgate from Essex, who won the St Andrews Links Trophy, closed with 78 for 297, Todd Adcock with 75 and Jamie Abbott 77, both for 298 and Tommy Fleetwood 79 for 299.
Tyrrell Hatton, in second spot overnight, also shot 79 for 293 but had the consolation of winning the Henriques Salver for the best performance by a British and Irish player aged under 20, and the Scrutton Jug for the best aggregate from the Brabazon and Berkshire Trophies.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
1st Darren Wright Rowlands Castle Golf Club 73 68 72 72 285 -3
2nd Simon Richardson Boston West Golf Club 73 73 69 74 289 +1
3rd Adrian Otaegui Spain 73 72 75 70 290 +2
4th Clement Berardo France 77 67 73 74 291 +3
5th Oliver Farr Ludlow Golf Club 74 68 76 74 292 +4
6th Billy Hemstock Teignmouth Golf Club 77 68 72 76 293 +5
6th Tyrrell Hatton Harleyford Golf Club 71 69 74 79 293 +5
8th Jack Senior Heysham Golf Club 75 74 74 72 295 +7
8th Chris Paisley Stocksfield Golf Club 74 71 74 76 295 +7
10th Ian A Winstanley Formby Golf Club 77 69 77 74 297 +9
10th Mark Hillson Craigielaw Golf Club 79 71 73 74 297 +9
10th Pedro Figueredo Portugal 80 69 74 74 297 +9
10th Dave Coupland Boston Golf Club 75 71 76 75 297 +9
10th Matthew Southgate Thorpe Hall Golf Club 72 70 79 76 297 +9
10th Michael Stewart Troon Welbeck Golf Club 78 73 68 78 297 +9
16th Mitchell Newton Notts Golf Club 76 73 75 74 298 +10
16th Todd Adcock Nevill Golf Club 75 70 78 75 298 +10
16th Jamie Abbott Fynn Valley Golf Club 71 71 80 76 298 +10
16th Sam Claridge Harpenden Common Golf Club 75 74 73 76 298 +10
16th Matthew Nixon Ashton-under-Lyne Golf Club 73 73 75 77 298 +10
21st Tommy Fleetwood Formby Hall Golf Club 69 73 81 76 299 +11
21st James Robinson Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club 76 69 75 79 299 +11
23rd Tom Lewis Welwyn Garden City Golf Club 75 74 74 77 300 +12
23rd Josh Loughrey Wrag Barn Golf and Country Club 74 71 76 79 300 +12
25th Christopher John Nugent Fulford Heath Golf Club 73 76 79 73 301 +13
25th Jordan Smith Bowood Golf  and Country Club 78 74 76 73 301 +13
25th Ross Kellet Colville Park Golf Club 74 74 76 77 301 +13
28th Andy Sullivan Nuneaton Golf Club 74 75 78 75 302 +14
28th Alastair Jones Radyr Golf Club 70 78 76 78 302 +14
28th Michael Saunders Dartford Golf Club 75 76 72 79 302 +14
28th James Ross Royal Burgess Golfing Society 76 73 73 80 302 +14
32nd Jon White Saunton Golf Club 79 71 74 79 303 +15
33rd Eddie Pepperell Drayton Park Golf Course 74 76 79 75 304 +16
33rd Spencer Wells Thorpe Hall Golf Club 77 71 79 77 304 +16
33rd Stiggy Hodgson Sunningdale Golf Club 77 72 76 79 304 +16
33rd Tim Gornik Slovenia 69 72 80 83 304 +16
37th James Burnett Sleaford Golf Club 79 73 79 74 305 +17
37th Kris Nicol Fraserburgh Golf Club 74 78 78 75 305 +17
37th Robin Kind Netherlands 75 74 79 77 305 +17
37th Tom Shadbolt Mid Herts Golf Club 77 74 74 80 305 +17
37th Alex Christie Tyrrells Wood Golf Club 81 70 74 80 305 +17
37th Darren Renwick Hill Barn Golf Club 74 73 76 82 305 +17
43rd Matthew Moseley Carmarthen Golf Club 74 76 79 77 306 +18
43rd Paul Howard Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club 76 72 78 80 306 +18
45th Steven McEwan Caprington Golf Course 76 76 78 77 307
45th C M Cossins Bath Golf Club 78 71 81 77 307
45th Scott Fallon Hendon Golf Club 82 70 77 78 307
45th Alexander Levy France 77 73 78 79 307
45th Greg Paterson St Andrews New GC 76 71 80 80 307 +19
45th Callum Tarren Dinsdale Spa Golf Club 76 76 74 81 307 +19
51st Paul Shields Kirkhill Golf Club 80 71 83 74 308 +20
51st Max Williams Cuddington Golf Club 76 76 75 81 308 +20
51st Adam Keogh Boston West Golf Club 77 74 76 81 308 +20
51st Ken Benz Switzerland 80 72 74 82 308 +20
51st Liam O'neill Keighley Golf Club 74 77 74 83 308 +20
56th Matthew Fitzpatrick Hallamshire Golf Club 79 71 82 77 309 +21
56th Levi Johnson Canterbury Golf Club 78 74 80 77 309 
58th Michael Hearn Chorley Golf Club 78 73 81 79 311
58th Jamie Howie Royal St David's Golf Club 77 75 75 84 311
58th Ciaran Doherty Bury Golf Club 73 76 77 85 311
61st Callum Shinkwin Moor Park Golf Club 70 81 83 78 312 +
61st Jonathan Rahm Spain 76 73 81 82 312
61st Nathan Kimsey Woodhall Spa Golf Club 72 75 81 84 312 
64th Michael Bedford Prestbury Golf Club 76 76 87 74 313 
65th James Maw Hallowes Golf Club 73 74 90 83 320
66th Jordan Godwin Rochester and Cobham Park Golf Club 81 69 80 91 321
67th Jack Brooks Pleasington Golf Club 78 72 86 88 324 +36