IRISHMAN PHELAN LEADS IN BRABAZON TROPHY

FROM THE ENGLAND GOLF WEBSITE
It wasn’t so much the luck of the Irish as the undoubted skills that saw Kevin Phelan top the leaderboard at the end of the opening day of the Brabazon Trophy at Walton Heath.
On a day when only seven players bettered the tough par of 72, Phelan posted an impressive four-under-par 68, which leaves the 21 year old Irish international two strokes ahead of England’s James Burnett and three clear of five players, Billy Britton, Tom Wilde and Sean Towndrow from England, Frenchman Franck Daux and Alastair Jones from Wales.
It was a supreme effort considering Phelan had never seen the prestigious Surrey course prior to his practice round. But he appeared totally at home as he covered the back nine in 32 strokes with five birdies.
“I started slowly and lost a ball on the fifth,” he admitted. “But I was steady after that and made five birdies on the back nine.”
Phelan has honed his game across the Atlantic. He is halfway through a scholarship at the University of North Florida at Jacksonville, where his family has a restaurant business, and may consider turning professional after graduating.
Burnett, the 20 year old England cap, is on his way back after suffering a mystery wrist injury in April. But he is in good form after winning the Lincolnshire Championship at Torksey and the individual competition in the Midland Qualifier at Belton Park.
“It was a solid round and I covered both nines in 35,” he said. “I had key putts at the second, for birdie, and the sixth and seventh for pars. The wrist injury was a bit of a mystery. I just woke up one morning and couldn’t move it.”
Kent-based Britton hit the opening shot of the championship at 7am and was rewarded with 71. He got off to a flier with an eagle-two at the 289-yard third only to give them back before the turn. But a brace of back nine birdies, including one at the last, kept him in red figures.
Wilde, back from the Old Dominion University in Virginia, took advantage of the par fives on the back nine, birdying two, and coming home in 35.
Daux, the 20 year old Frenchman from Fontainebleau, didn’t appear to be joining the front-runners as he went out in two-over-par 37. But he stormed home in 34 with five birdies in the closing seven holes.
“I was not lucky on the front nine where I had some bad bounces,” he said. “But the back nine was much better and I came home in three under.”
Welsh international Jones was happy with his 71 as his swing is ‘work in progress’.
“That was better than I’ve been playing,” he admitted. “I’m in the process of changing my swing. I came back from America in a bit of a mess and I’ve been working with Welsh coach Neil Matthews. “My short game is fine but my ball striking needs to be better. But I’m happy with today so things are improving.”
A new putter helped Patrick Spraggs to shoot level-par 72 but it could have been a lot better.
“I was doing well, going out in 33, and the putter was working fine. But I tangled with the heather on the back nine and it was a scramble after that,” said the man from Suffolk.
Joining him on 72 is Lancastrian Paul Howard, who soon found himself three over par after a bogey at the third and a double at four. But he recovered those lost shots with birdies at the three back nine par fives.
Play begins at 7am tomorrow and 7.30am on the last two and admission is free. For those unable to attend, live scoring and news updates will available on the Championships Section of the England Golf website, www.englandgolf.org.

SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES