WALLIS RETAINS TITLEIST PGA PLAY-OFFS CROWN

REPORT FROM NATHANIEL SYLVESTER
PGA Press Officer
 
Richard Wallis overcame some mid-round swing gremlins to successfully defend his Titleist PGA Play-Offs crown in Turkey and realise his goal of qualifying for the Great Britain and Ireland PGA Cup team.
The Walmer and Kingsdown ace triumphed by four strokes after an exciting battle with Ireland’s David Higgins which was made all the more intriguing as both struggled with their games over Antalya Golf Club’s  PGA Sultan Course.
Banchory’s Greig Hutcheon, who had been targeting one of the three PGA Cup spots, double-bogeyed the last to tie third with fellow Tartan Tour regulars Scott Henderson (Kings Links) and Gareth Wright (West Linton).
Henderson had surged through the field in weather-affected tournament with a four-under-par 67 and in the play-off for the final PGA Cup spot sustained his form with a brilliant wedge to four feet for a birdie at the first extra  hole with GB and I captain and fellow Scot Russell Weir looking on.
Lighting storms had wiped out play yesterday afternoon reducing the £15,000 event to 54-holes, and leaving the leading group of Wallis, Higgins and Hutcheon to resume their interrupted third round on the seventh tee but the leading two fought to find rhythm, particularly Higgins who trailed by two strokes standing on the par five 16th.
Wallis handed Higgins a glimmer of hope when he found water off the tee but a pitch to two feet enabled him to salvage par while Higgins missed his birdie putt from the same distance.
A hooked drive off the last cost Higgins a bogey on the last with Wallis sealing victory in style by chipping in off the green for a round of 70 to add to rounds of 67 and 68 for an eight-under-par total of 205 over the par-71 course.
“I’m absolutely over the moon. I came here hoping to finish in the top three and get a PGA Cup spot so I’m really pleased to have achieved that especially after the collapse of my swing on the back nine,” said Wallis
“The thing that made it a little bit of anti-climax was David chipping to two feet on 16 and missing his birdie. Had he holed that there would have been one shot in it playing the last two which would have made things a little different.”
Looming fatherhood is highest on Wallis’s immediate priorities but his longer term focus remains proving himself on tour so earning starts to the BMW PGA Championship among others is an opportunity he is eager to exploit.
“I’m looking forward to the playing opportunities next year but I’ll have to work hard at my game and hopefully I can make a few changes with my coach Paul Page,” he added.
“I hit some poor shots today but I got away with it but you are not going to be able to do that on tour courses and my aspiration is to play tour so I have got to make changes.”
Higgins hopes of landing the title evaporated with five bogeys in his closing nine holes, eventually signing for a 73 but he was delighted to finish second and secure further tour starts to add to those gained through his European Tour qualifying school success two weeks ago.
“I wanted to win but all I wanted was to hang on for the top two places and the tour starts that gets you,” he said.
“I know it’s an awful way to be thinking but I just couldn’t get it out of my head.
“Mentally I was bad and just hit bad shots. That’s not good enough but I’m delighted to get second and it would also be an honour to play in PGA Cup.”

Richard Wallis, David Higgins and Scott Henderson have qualified for the Great Britain and Ireland PGA Cup team to play the United States at laley Hall next September.
Places in the European and Challenge Tour events will be confirmed once the respective tours have finalised their 2013 schedules.