PGA EUROPRO TOUR REPORT AND TOTALS

WOLSTENHOLME SCORES

FIRST PRO WIN AS CRAIG

LEE’S LATE SLIPS HALVE

HIS PRIZE MONEY

England’s much-capped former Walker Cup ace Gary Wolstenholme won his first professional tournament at the age of 49 today. He collected the £10,000 prize in this week’s PGA EuroPro Tour event, the Stoke-by-Nayland championship in Essex
Wolstenholme, who will be 50 next month, turned pro in 2008.
With rounds of 69, 63 and 69 for a 15-under-par total of 201, Gary finished four shots clear of compatriot James Busby and Irishman Brendan McCarroll who earned £3,750 apiece.
“It feels great,” said a delighted Wolstenholme. “It still hasn’t sunk in but the really nice thing is that all the hard work has paid off.
“Although I’ve played well recently, I’ve not been scoring well so to go out there and have three decent rounds and win a tournament by four shows that work has paid off.
“Winning this tournament is certainly up there with the other things I’ve achieved.
“The fact I’ve achieved so much as an amateur doesn’t matter as in effect you’re back to square one as all of a sudden you’re playing for your living.
“When you’re playing for money even if you’re not in contention you don’t give up. You have to make the cut and get the money. All the money and points that you get added to your Order of Merit total really makes a big difference.
“But it was important for me to prove to myself and other people that I’m still a good player.
“The EuroPro Tour is a good standard of play and the top ten or 20 are really good golfers.
“The Seniors Tour is my goal without any doubt. I’ll be going to their Tour School in November but there are only six cards there. It won’t be easy to get on the over-50s circuit.”
Top Scot in joint 12th place was Craig Lee of the Aspire Golf Centre, near Aberdeen. Lee earned £625 but his final round of 74 – his worst of the three days – for a total of five-under-par 211 was below his own expectations. To make matters worse, he bogeyed the 15th, 16th and 17th Had Lee parred these holes he would have finished joint fourth and more than doubled his take-home pay for the week.
Steven Mackie from Dunnikier Park finished just inside the top 20 with a 69 for 213 which earned him £395.
South Wales-based Paul Doherty and Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) tied for 29th place on 215, Paul finished with a 74 and Shaun – still looking for a good last round on the Euro Pro Tour – with a 75. They each earned £298.
Tartan Tour pro Jason McCreadie signed off with a 73 for 216 and a shared of 33rd place which paid him £275.
Alyth’s Kevin McAlpine kept a bogey off his card in his second round but had six of them in his closing 76 for 217 and a share of 38th place. His share of the prize money was £250.
John Henry (Clydebank and District), the last of the Scots to beat the cut, had a bad last day, running up a 79 for 223 and finishing joint 50th, for which he received £197.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
201 Gary Wolstenholm (Eng) 69 63 69 (£10,000).
205 James Busby (Eng) 67 69 69, Brendan McCarroll (Ire) 67 63 75 (£3,750 each).
208 Graeme Clark (Eng) 65 71 72, Daniel Perrett (Eng) 67 67 74 (£1,550 each).
209 Darryn Lloyd (SAf) 72 689 69, Neil Walker (Eng) 67 69 73, Jamie Moule (Eng) 64 69 76 (£1,033 each).
210 Luke Goddard (Eng) 68 72 70, Andrew Johnston (Eng) 71 65 74, James Freeman (Eng) 68 67 75 (£800 each).
Scottish scores:
211 Craig Lee 71 66 75 (jt 12th) (£625).
213 Steven Mackie 72 72 69 (jt 19th) (£395).
215 Paul Doherty 66 75 74, Shaun McAllister 70 70 75 (jt 29th) (£298 each).
216 Jason McCreadie 73 70 73 (jt 33rd) (£275).
217 Kevin McAlpine 74 67 76 (jt 38th) (£250).
223 John Henry 72 72 79 (jt 50th) (£197).

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