NEWS RELEASE For immediate release: 22 June 2019 Flying Scot - Alastair Forsyth secures record-breaking  wire to wire win at Hunstanton Alastair Forsyth confirmed what had been had been regarded as a  cast-iron certainty since the halfway point of the Titleist and FootJoy  PGA Professional Championship at Hunstanton by winning it. The Scot had begun the fourth and final round 11 shots clear of the  field and that was the state of play at the end of it after he signed  off with a four-under-par round of 68 for a four-round total of 263. It was the lowest total posted since the tournament began in 1973,  eclipsing the previous best of 268 carded by Little Aston Golf Club’s  Brian Rimmer at Northop County Park, Flintshire, in 1997. That venue, like Hunstanton, is a par 72 course and Rimmer finished on 20-under. That, too, was surpassed by the 43-year-old who is attached to Mearns Castle Golf Academy, Glasgow. He finished on 25-under. However, given his golfing pyrotechnics in the first two rounds and, to a lesser extent, the third, when he posted rounds of six, nine, and five-under-par respectively, his negotiation of the fourth was comparatively low key. “I slacked off a wee bit today!” he joked. “It’s been a great week but it was a strange experience having a lead like that at halfway and with a round to go. “I was 11 shots ahead going into today, so I stuck to what had got me there – course management and keeping to my game plan. “Today was probably the easiest final round I’ll ever play. I can’t think of ever having a winning margin such as this in any tournament of this magnitude.” Forsyth, a two-time winner during his 15 years on the European Tour, attributed his success to a liking for a course that suited his game and almost unerring precision with his irons. No matter where his ball landed off the tee, it was as though his approach shots were radio-controlled. Two bogeys in 72-holes is testament to the accuracy of his game and his affinity with a course regularly rated among the top 100 in Great Britain and Ireland and described by three-time Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher as ‘true championship test of golf’. “Sometimes a course fits your eye,” explained Forsyth who qualified as a PGA Professional last year. “I was looking forward to playing the course because I’d heard a lot of good reports about it. I played it for the first time in a practice round on Monday and really enjoyed it. “The course suits my game – my long game has been solid for a couple of years now and if you stay out of the bunkers and keep to the fairways there are good opportunities to score. “My iron play was the real key and from there it was just a case of trying to get the putts in. Obviously on the first two days especially, I managed to do that very well.” In addition, to claiming the £10,000 winner’s cheque and booking his place in the Great Britain and Ireland PGA Cup team that will tackle the USA in Texas in late September, Forsyth derived some local satisfaction from his victory. That was finishing 13-shots ahead of Paul O’Hara, his compatriot and rival on the Tartan Tour. “I’ve won two Order of Merit events this year but I’m still second behind Paul O’Hara,” he reflected. “We’ve played together quite a few times in final groups and I’ve had some good battles with him. “He’s a tough opponent – he never goes away so it was nice to be that far ahead of him for a change.” O’Hara, who began the day sharing second place with Jordan Godwin on 10-under, finished tied fourth with Jason Levermore and Alex Wrigley on 12-under. Godwin, meanwhile, shared seventh spot with Sion Bebb and John Wells on 10-under. Second place was annexed by England’s Richard Wallis who, in posting a seven-under-par round to finish on 14-under, prevented a Scottish one-two involving Forsyth and Craig Lee. Lee, like Wallis his playing partner, made a late ascent of the leaderboard with his best round of the tournament – a six-under-par 66 to claim third place. Images of Alastair Forsyth free to use courtesy of Paul Harding, Getty Images Images of Craig Lee and Richard Wallis free to use courtesy of Adrian Milledge, PGA ENDS

NEWS RELEASE

02 January 2019

Lee Westwood receives prestigious PGA Recognition Award

One of Europe’s finest golfers, Lee Westwood, has become the latest recipient of the PGA Recognition Award for his outstanding contribution to the game of golf. The 45-year-old collected the honour from PGA Captain John Heggarty at the Association’s annual fund-raising lunch, held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. Westwood is a seven-time Ryder Cup winner having made 10 appearances in the competition. He was unbeaten in both the 2004 and 2006 matches and equalled Arnold Palmer’s record of going 12 straight matches without defeat in 2008. One of only a handful of players to have won tournaments on five continents, former world number one Westwood was awarded an OBE for his services to golf in 2011. More recently, Westwood was vice-captain as Europe claimed back the Ryder Cup in Paris in September and less than two months later, the Worksop-born player claimed his 24th European Tour title by winning the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa. Westwood said: “It has been a great end to the season for me – winning again in South Africa was amazing and then to receive this prestigious award is the icing on the cake. “I am really grateful to be recognised by the PGA and appreciate all their support.” Commenting on Westwood’s presence as guest of honour at the Lunch, Robert Maxfield, chief executive of The PGA, said: “The PGA is delighted to present its Recognition Award to Lee, who is one of Europe’s truly great players. His Ryder Cup record proves that along with the fact that he ended Tiger Wood’s five-year reign as World Number One in 2010. “The PGA Recognition Award is our way of acknowledging great achievements in the game and I’m delighted on behalf of the PGA’s membership to bestow this accolade on Lee – he is a deserving winner and credit to the sport.” One of the greatest Scottish golfers of all time, North Berwick's Catriona Matthew, was also presented with a PGA Recognition Award at the Association's annual Lunch in Scotland. Matthew is one of Europe’s greatest female golfers. A Solheim Cup stalwart with nine appearances in the competition, the 49-year-old is well placed to lead Europe when she captains the team at Gleneagles in 2019. Scotland’s most successful female golfer has four LPGA Tour victories to her name, as well as six Ladies European Tour wins and five top-five finishes in major championships, including a win at the 2009 Women’s British Open. As always, money raised from the PGA Lunches went to the PGA Benevolent Fund that helps PGA Members who have fallen on difficult times. Photos by courtesy of Getty Images. ​

Hutcheon sharing 10th place at PGA Play-offs in Turkey

Greig Hutcheon, playing in his last tournament as a Paul Lawrie Golf Centre player, is sharing 10th place in a field of 24 with one round to go in the PGA Play-offs over the PGA Sultan Course at Antalya Golf Club, Turkey.
Hutcheon, who in future will play out of his home-town course of Torphins, Aberdeenshire, has had rounds of 68 and 74 for 142, the same as fellow Scot Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf) (71-71).
Two other Scots are ahead of them on the leaderboard. Alastair Forsyth (Mearns Castle) is joint third on 138 (69-69) while Paul O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure) is sharing sixth place with scores of 71 and 69 for 140.
Englishmen Matthew Cort (Beedles Lake) (71-66) and David Dixon (Enmore Par) (67-70) hold a one-stroke lead on 137.


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Simply the best - James Watts and Jack Winer win the Golfbreaks.com PGA Four-ball Championship

Image of James Watts (left) and Jack Winer with the winner's cheque, picture by courtesy of Adrian Milledge.

 PGA NEWS RELEASE

Best mates and each other’s best man, James Watts and Jack Winer proved they were simply the best in the Golfbreaks.com PGA Fourball Championship at Belton Woods by winning it.

But having led the chase for the £5,500 winner’s cheque since posting an opening 12-under-par round of 60, they were given an almighty scare confirming it while negotiating the tournament’s closing holes. 

 

They had begun the third and final round a shot clear of West country duo Ryan Pope and William Nolan Farley. And with six shots covering almost half the 24 pairs that had made the cut, they knew their lead was fragile, especially given the event’s better ball format.

 

“We said at the start of the day that someone would come from the pack,” said Watts, who has just completed his first year as a PGA Assistant at Kingsway Golf Centre in Hertfordshire.

 

However, they did not anticipate that ‘someone’ would begin the day six shots behind them, post a tournament-best 13-under-par round of 59 and leave them needing a birdie at the final hole to force a play-off.

 

“I made the mistake about half way round of saying no-one was really pressing us,” admitted Winer who, attached to Abridge Golf and Country Club in Essex, has just completed his PGA training.

“Then all of a sudden we learn a pair were in the clubhouse on 27-under. We were five or six holes out at that stage.”

The pair in question comprised Adam Keogh of Spalding Golf Club and Glen Gorse Golf Club’s Michael Reed.

In a bogey-free round, Reed accounted for five birdies while his partner racked up seven plus an eagle at the par-five 18th.

 

Watts and Winer had eagled the hole in rounds one and two but were unable to follow suit in round three and had to settle for a birdie, so both pairs returned to the 18th tee for the sudden death play-off.

At 486 yards in length, the hole was a fertile source of eagles. Sixteen were recorded there during the tournament but none during the first negotiation of it in the play-off.

Then Keogh, chipping from the fringe behind the hole, came within an inch of one before Winer, on the green in two, held his nerve to hole from 14 foot to secure victory.

Reflecting on their success, Winer said: “The key was keeping the ball in play and we both putted reasonably well. 

 

“We dovetailed nicely and didn’t do anything stupid. When one of us got into trouble the other bailed him out.”

Which clearly typified a relationship that goes back many years. So much so that, as well as being best men on Belton Woods Lake Course, they have been or will be each other’s best man off it.

“He was my best man in April and I’m best man at his wedding in June,” said Watts.“We’ve been friends for a long time so it’s nice to come out and do the business together,’ added his partner.

Leading scores:

27 under par Jack Winer (Abridge Golf and Country Club) and James Watts (Kingsway Golf Centre)*, Adam Keogh (Spalding Golf Club) and Michael Reed (Glen Gorse Golf Club). Winer and Watts won play-off. 

 

24 under par  Lee Clarke (Beeston Fields Golf Club) and Jack Lynch, Ryan Pope (Exeter Golf and Country Club and William Nolan Farley (Bovey Castle), Michael Watson (Wessex Golf Centre) and Richard O’Hanlon (St Kew Golf Club)

 

 

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Heather MacRae and Katy McNicoll to take on men in Crieff qualifiers

PGA OF SCOTLAND NEWS RELEASE

Heather MacRae and Katy McNicoll are among the players set to take part in two separate qualifiers for this year's M and H Logistics Scottish PGA Championship.

The 18-hole shoot-outs take place at Crieff on August 28 and 29, when the hopefuls will also include former European Tour player Craig Lee.

MacRae, pictured, who hails from Dunblane but is now based in Portugal, is no stranger to locking horns with her male PGA counterparts.

In 2009, she became the first woman to play in the Scottish PGA Championship for 76 years and has made subsequent appearances in the Tartan Tour's flagship event.

MacRae, a former British Ladies' Amateur Stroke-Play champion, plays mainly at the moment on the LET Access Series, winning the Belfius Championship in France last season.

For McNicoll, the qualifier will be a chance for the Gullane-based PGA trainee to pick up her own clubs after a spate of caddying duties in recent weeks.

She was on brother Keir's bag when he played as a marker in the final two rounds of the 147th Open Championship in Carnoustie, where the pair are from.

Katy then put her knowledge of Gullane to good use to help her long-time friend, Kelsey MacDonald, make the cut in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open.

Joining MacRae and McNicoll in the battle for spots in the M and G Logistics Scottish PGA Championship at Gleneagles from October 15-18 will be Hilton Park's Jorden Ferrie.

Keir McNicoll is also set to play in one of the Crieff qualifiers, as is Lee, who hasn't played much at all this season but was in the mix at halfway in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open qualifier at Longniddry.

Others hoping to join the group of exempt players led by defending champion Chris Kelly in the 72-hole event on the King's Course include Graeme Brown and Stephen Craig.

Shona Malcolm, The PGA's Regional Manager for Scotland, said: “Yet again we have two strong fields of members aiming to qualify for the M and H Logistics Scottish PGA Championship, the flagship event in Scotland and the final one in the Tartan Tour’s “Road to Gleneagles” Order of Merit. 

"The rewards for qualifying are significant, providing those who are successful with the opportunity to join those members already exempted into the final field to compete for a prize fund yet again in excess of £50,000. 

"The support of PGA Partners M and H Logistics and Gleneagles is much appreciated by everyone at the PGA.”

Cardiff's Toby Hunt wins Welsh National PGA Championship

Cardiff golf pro Toby Hunt ensured there would be repeat of last year’s final round stumble in winning the Welsh National PGA Championship at Ashburnham. But it was a close run thing for Hunt, a PGA Professional who represents St Mellons Golf Club. Having led at the halfway stage at Celtic Manor in 2017 when Sion Bebb went on to win the tournament for the third time, another previous winner came close to foiling his victory bid 12 months later. This time Garry Houston, who won the title in 2015, threatened to poop Hunt’s party and claim the £1,500 first prize. As did Rhys Enoch, courtesy of a spirited late rally. In a tense denouement to the Asbri Golf sponsored event, both finished a stroke adrift of Hunt on seven-under-par after trailing him by three shots at the mid-point of the second and final round. Hunt and Enoch had begun the day four and three shots respectively ahead of Houston.  And although Enoch struggled to find the form that had seen him play all four rounds in last month's Open Championship, there was little hint Hunt would be caught. That is until he double-bogeyed the par three 16th and joined Houston on eight-under.  Parity was brief, however. As Hunt approached the 17th tee, up ahead on the green Houston missed a short putt and his one shot advantage was restored. Hunt had recovered from wobbles earlier in the round, not least when he steadied the ship with a par after a double bogey at the par-five fifth and then posted three successive birdies. Reflecting on his response to setbacks, he explained: “Tiger Woods has been my hero since I was able to walk. If he makes a bogey, he makes a birdie straight afterwards. It’s something he’s always been able to do. "That’s something I’ve tried to learn - get it out of your system, move on and repair the damage. I did that a couple of times today.” The double bogey with two holes remaining presented a different scenario, however, and Hunt added: “I was running out of holes so my chances of making amends were limited." In the event, successive pars sealed victory although Enoch did his best to force a play-off with a bold attempt to drive the par-four 18th that ended with him signing off with a birdie as opposed to the eagle he needed. Helping Hunt hold his nerve and regain his composure was Barry Thomas, the head PGA Professional at St Melllons who was on the bag. “I’ve worked with him for the last eight years,” Hunt recalled. "We’ve had tantrums and fights but he’s always believed in me and long may it continue.” While Hunt won the major event, the competition for senior Welsh PGA Professionals was claimed by the host club’s Martin Stimson after two negotiations of familiar territory with a one-under-par score of 143.   ENDS

Notts golf pro wins PGA's flagship tournament: O'Hara 2nd, Kelly 4th

Fair-haired Andy Willey played the role of dark horse to perfection in winning the Titleist and FootJoy PGA Professional Championship at Little Aston on Sunday. Three sub-par negotiations of a regular Open Championship qualifying venue in superb condition had him shadowing the tournament’s pacemakers. Come the halfway stage of the fourth and final round, however, he was still three shots adrift of Paul O’Hara, the defending champion. The deficit remained with six holes to go but then O’Hara, seemingly on course to become the first man to retain the trophy since fellow scot David Huish in 1988, faltered. By contrast, Willey, who represents Oakmere Park Golf Club, Nottinghamshire, produced a cocktail of sang froid and red-hot putting to claim the £10,000 first prize and use of a Peugeot car for a year. He admitted afterwards that putting has often proved the weak spot in his game, not that that was apparent as he signed off with a bogey-free six-under-par round of 66 to finish 16-under for the tournament on 272. “I’ve always said putting has been one of my downfalls,” he said. “But it’s been amazing all day. I holed so many today - I couldn’t put a foot wrong. Everything I hit went in.” Not least on the par-five 15th when he holed a 25-footer to reduce the deficit to one.  That was erased when O’Hara, playing in the two-ball behind, bogeyed the 16th and a play-off was in the offing - until Willey was on the 18th green. There he holed another 25-footer for a birdie to deliver the coup de grace. “I wasn’t 100 per cent sure how we stood,” he recalled. “I had an inkling I might be level with him so I was thinking get it close and don’t do anything silly.  "The putt was straight up the hill, slightly left to right and it was a question of getting the pace right as I’d got the lines right all day. Thankfully it just dropped in lovely and I’m chuffed to bits. “I’ve been playing in the PGA Midland region for a while now and winning Order of Merit events and pro-ams. But I said to myself this year I’d love to win a big event, a national one.  “I’ve been through to the PGA Play-Offs two or three times but I’ve not pushed on from there and qualified for BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. So to win today is fantastic - it gets me through to the Play-Offs and hopefully I can push on from there and get to Wentworth.” In addition to qualifying for the end of season PGA Play-Offs in Turkey, where he will be joined by O’Hara, Willey has taken a positive step towards earning a place in the Great Britain and Ireland PGA Cup team that will take on the USA in Texas next year. He has accumulated 20 of the possible 50 points that are available - winning next year’s tournament is worth an additional 30 - and O’Hara, who earned £6,240, has 19 while James Freeman, who began the day as tournament leader, has 18 after finishing third. Meanwhile, although Willey’s flawless six-under-par round clinched victory, the best of the day was produced by Chris Kelly from Golf in Scotland.  In a scorching start that matched the temperatures at Little Aston all week, the Scot went eagle, birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie en route to route to posting a seven-under-par round of 65 and finishing fourth. Leading scores:  Andrew Willey (Oakmere Park Golf Club) -16 Paul O’Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure) -15 James Freeman (Retford Golf Club) -14 Chris Kelly (Golf in Scotland) -13 Michael Ramsden (Renishaw Park), Jason Levermore (Little Channels), Jordan Godwin (Barnehurst) -12.

Andrew Willey's final-round swoop to win £10,000 prize at Little Aston GC

O'Hara just fails to retain PGA title, Hutcheon fades to share of 15th place

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Paul O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure), last year's winner of the £10,000 first prize, earned £6,420 for finishing a close-up second in this year's PGA professional championship at Little Aston Golf Club, Sutton Coldfield today.
Greig Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre), in the mix over the first three rounds, faded to a final round of two-over 74 and a joint 15th place on 280, which earned him £1,000.
The leader through the first three rounds, Englishman James Freeman (Retford), couldn't quite hang on to the pole position down the home straight. He finished with a par 72 for 274 which gave him £4,500 for third place.
Compatriot Andrew Willey (Oakmere Park) was the surprise winner of the £10,000 jackpot, thanks to a final score of six-under 66 for 16-under 272, a shot ahead of O'Hara.
Chris Kelly (Scotland for Golf) shot the lowest round of the final day - a 65 which hoisted him to fourth place on 275 and earned him £3,450.
Hutcheon birdied the fourth, seventh and 12th but these gains were cancelled out by a double bogey 5 at the short seventh and bogeys at the eighth, 14th and 17th.

PGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Little Aston Golf Club, Sutton Coldfield
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
272 A Willey (Oakmere Park) 67 69 70 66 (£10,000).
273 P O'Hara (N Lanarkshire Leisure) 67 68 70 68 (£6,420).
274 J Freeman (Retford) 67 67 68 72 (£4,500).
275 C Kelly (Scotland for Golf) 70 70 70 65 (£3,450).
276 J Levermore (Little Channels) 73 66 68 69, M Ramsden (Renishaw Park) 68 68 70 70 (£2,350 each).

SELECTED TOTALS
279 G Wright (West Linton) 69 70 71 69 (T10) (£1,300).
280 G Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie GC) 66 70 70 74 (T15)(£1,000).
284 P McKechnie (Braid Hills) 72 71 75 66 (T26) (£725).
286 G Fox (Clydeway Golf) 73 68 72 73 (£562.50)




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Scots in contention but need something special in final round

O'Hara and Hutcheon need sub-par finishes 

to win PGA £10,000 prize


By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Paul Hara and Greig Hutcheon need sub-par scores in the final round if either is to topple long-time leader James Freeman (Retford) over the final round and take the £10,000 first prize out of the Englishman's  grasp in the PGA Professional Championship at Little Aston Golf Club, Sutton Coldfield.
O'Hara is joint second on 205 (67-68-70), three behind Freeman (67-67-68), while Hutcheon is on 206 (67-68-70).
Hutcheon had five third-round birdies but also a double bogey 6 and two bogeys while o'Hara made his task just that little bit more difficult by bogeying the 18th.

PGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Little Aston Golf Club, Sutton Coldfield.
THIRD-ROUND LEADERS
par 216 (3x72)
202 J Freeman (Retford) 67 67 68.
205 P O'Hara (N Lanarkshire Leisure) 67 68 79, J Godwin (Barnehurst) 70 69 66.
206 G Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie GC) 66 70 70, J Whatley (Morley Hayes) 71 68 67, A Willey (Oakmere Park) 67 69 70, M Ramsden (Renishaw Park) 68 68 80.

SELECTED SCORES
210 C Kelly (Scotland for Golf) 70 70 70, G Wright (West Linton) 69 70 71 (T11)
213 G Fox (Clydeway Golf) 73 68 72 (T27)
218 P McKechnie (Braid Hills) 72 71 73 (T45)

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Link to Round 2 of PGA Professional Championship scores

LEADERBOARD 
par 144 (2x72)
134 J Freeman (Retford) 67 67
135 P O'Hara (N Lanarkshire Leisure) 67 68, J Dillon (Headfort) 67 68.
136 M Ramsden (Renishaw Park) 68 68, R O'Neill (Penwortham) 69 67, G Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie GC) 66 70, C McNamara (Monkstown) 

SELECTED SCORES
138 P Hendriksen (Ivybridge) 66 72 (T9)
139 G Wright (West Linton) 69 70 (T12)
140 C Kelly (Scotland for Golf) 70 70  (T22)
143 P McKechnie (Braid Hills) 72 71 (T40)
144 G Forbes (Mearns Castle) 73 71 (T50)



MISSED THE CUT 
146 A Hay (Royal Winchester) 72 74, S Gray (Lanark) 73 73, K McNicoll (Carnoustie GL) 75 71
148 C Currie (Erksine) 75 73
149 M Patterson (Williamwood) 74 75
151 I Taylor (Drumpellier) 72 79
153 J Porteous (Craigielaw) 78 75
154 C McMaster (Downfield) 80 74
155 A Cooper (Newburgh) 77 78
168 R Leeds (Archerfield Links) 83 85

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