Friday, October 20, 2006

Dramatic finish to inaugural PGA Play-offs


2007 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP PLACE BONUS
FOR JOINT THIRD CRAIG LEE

Gary Marks, 42, a former winner of the Polish Open, won a play-off against Simon Thornton (Royal County Down) to win the inaugural 36-hole PGA Play-offs title from the top Order of Merit finishers from the PGA’s seven regions at Woodhall Spa Golf Club, Lincolnshire today.
Marks, who teaches at the World of Golf in New Malden, near Wimbledon, and Thornton had identical rounds of 74 and 67 to tie on 141.
Marks won for himself, among other benefits, a place in four European Tour events next year.
In a topsy-turvy round of nine birdies and three bogeys, Simon, originally from Bradford but 10 years at the famed County Down club in Northern Ireland, swallowed up a two-stroke deficit on Marks at the par-4 17th where he holed a 15-footer for his eighth birdie of the day, while Gary, admitting to playing cautiously, flopped a wedge shot into the greenside bunker and failed to get up and down.
Marks, not the tallest of players, still rattles the ball a fair distance, and was among the few who reached the last green, a 540-yarder, in two shots.
“I really nailed my three-wood, and two putts gave me a birdie that was badly needed, because Simon got his as well from eight feet.”
At the first extra hole, an innocent-looking 361yd, Thornton, the winner of the Irish Order of Merit, “over-cooked” his second, which came to rest in a shallow gulley behind the green.
Marks, who was the South Region's No. 1 man this season, got safely on in two and needed only two more putts for victory when Thornton missed from eight feet.
£2,000 FIRST PRIZE FOR MARKS
The PGA Play-offs win, worth £2,000 to Marks, gives him and Thornton places in the Celtic Manor Wales Open and the Barclays Scottish Open. Thornton, already exempt for the European Open and Nissan Irish Open by winning the Irish Order of Merit, is joined by Marks and Simon Edwards in the European Open at The K Club, after Edwards returned a flawless second-round 67, nine shots better than his opening score.
Craig Lee from Stirling (71-72), tied for third place with Edwards (76-67) and former Ryder Cup player, Gordon Brand junior (71-72), on 143 on but the bonus for the Scot was the one remaining place for PGA members in next year’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
It transpired that those finishing ahead of Lee, pictured above right, were already exempt by winning their respective regional Orders of Merit.
The top seven finishers not otherwise exempt also won places in three Challenge Tour events next year – the Ryder Cup Wales Challenge, the Ireland Ryder Cup Challenge, and the Scottish Challenge.
Scotland’s two other qualifiers through the Tartan Tour Order of Merit, Dean Robertson and Greig Hutcheon did not do themselves justice.
Robertson had scores of 77 and 72 for 149, the same total as Greig Hutcheon (Peterculter) who had scores of 78 and 71. They finished joint 13th with Paul Eales.
FINAL TOTALS
141 G Marks (World of Golf) 74 67, S Thornton (Royal County Down) 74 67 (Marks won play-off at first extra hole).
143 S Edwards (Clays Centre, Wrexham) 76 67, C Lee (All Golf Swing Centre) 71 72, G Brand jun (Players Club) 71 72.
145 D Mortimer (Newlands) 75 70.
146 R O'Hanlon (Uttoxeter) 76 70, J Ablett (Lee-on-the-Solent) 71 75.
147 M Sheppard (Fore Golf Discount) 75 72, M Wiggett (Dudsbury) 75 72148 J Bevitt (Batchworth Park) 75 73, N Reilly (Surbiton) 72 76.
149 D Robertson (Czech Design) 77 72, P Eales (Royal Lytham & St Annes) 77 72, G Hutcheon (Peterculter) 78 71.
150 P Bagshaw (Ramsdale Park) 78 72151 C Clark (Moor Hall) 74 77157 R Giles (Greenore) 79 78; S Harrison (Thorpeness) 80 77.
158 J Fryatt(Thorpe Hall) 78 80.

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