RICK VALENTINE WINS PLAY-OFF FOR WORLD HICKORY OPEN TITLE
NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY Carnoustie
Country
DATE: Tuesday,
16 October 2012
Following a nail-biting play-off, the
World Hickory Open 2012, which was held in Carnoustie
Country on 8/9 October, was won by Rick Valentine, PGA Professional and
Director of Golf at Loretto
School, Musselburgh.
“Playing hickory
golf anywhere is special but it was fantastic to have the opportunity to compete
– and, eventually, to win - in Carnoustie Country, home of many of Scotland’s
greatest and oldest golf courses,” said Rick, who has played in every WHO
tournament since 2006.
Rick competed
in the sudden-death play-off against Australian hickory golf specialist and
previous World Hickory Open champion, Perry Somers, after they both completed
their second rounds with combined scores of 156. “This was the first time the
World Hickory Open was decided by a play-off,” explained Rick. “It was very
exciting – both for myself and Perry and for our fellow competitors, who joined
us on the course as we played for the title. Perry and I proved to be very
evenly matched and, after six holes under ever-darkening skies, I was honoured
to emerge victorious.”
Loretto School
celebrated a double win at the World Hickory Open 2012, with Rick and two
15-year-old Loretto
School pupils, John Dunn
Butler and George Cumberland, claiming victory in the team event. “This was John and George’s first attempt at
hickory golf and they played incredibly well,” said Rick.
The first day
of the 2012 tournament was held on Monifieth Medal, one of the thirty
Carnoustie Country golf courses within a 45-minute drive of Carnoustie
Championship. “We were delighted to host the World Hickory Open,” said Bill
Miller, Chair of Monifieth Links. “It was a spectacular event and, thanks to considerable
local, national and international media interest, this tournament also helped
to raise the profile of the golf courses at Monifieth and throughout Carnoustie
Country.”
For the
second and final day of the tournament, the hickory golfers played on
Carnoustie Burnside. “It was wonderful to see so many golfers playing on the
links in 1900 golfing garb with traditional golfing equipment,” said Colin
McLeod of Carnoustie Links Management Committee. ”In addition, it was good for
Carnoustie Burnside to receive a share of the limelight. With its close
proximity to the Championship course, the Burnside tends to be overshadowed but
it’s a great golf course with almost 100 years of golfing history, which I’m
sure the hickory golfers appreciated.”
Although this
was the eighth World Hickory Open, it was the first time the championship had
been held in Carnoustie Country. World Hickory Open Chairman Lionel Freedman revealed that the move
had proved highly popular with the 100 hickory golfers who travelled from
across the globe to compete in this year’s championship. “The overwhelming response
was that it was a fantastic tournament in a very fitting, and very welcoming, golfing
location,” said Lionel.
“We definitely
hope to return to Carnoustie Country in 2013. There’s such a wonderful choice
of excellent courses throughout Carnoustie Country – and almost every one of
them would be suitable for the World Hickory Open.”
To find out more about Carnoustie
Country and its golf courses, including ‘stay and play’ packages, visit www.carnoustiecountry.com, ‘like’
the Carnoustie Country Facebook page or follow Carnoustie Country on Twitter.
To find out more about the World Hickory Open, visit www.worldhickoryopen.com.
Labels: GOLF NEWS