SEMI FINALS FOR VICKERY AT TURNBERRY
On a good week for Welsh Golf at the Amateur Championship at Turnberry, Newport’s Joe Vickery headed the Welsh challenge by reaching the semi finals losing out to the eventual winner Rainier Saxton of the Netherlands. Vickery collects 210 Pinnacle points for his effort and moves into 3rd place on the Pinnacle Order of Merit.
James Frazer (Pennard) also shone at Turnberry by reaching the quarter finals before losing out to Vickery on the final green. Frazer collects 170 Pinnacle points and currently stands in 6th place on the Pinnacle list. Both Ben Westgate and Nigel Edwards reached the last 32 of the Amateur and add 90 points to their totals while Zac Gould made the last 64 and collects 50 points.
Ben Westgate retains his place at the top of the Pinnacle Order of Merit.
WESTGATE 5TH AT LINKS TROPHY
Ben Westgate (Trevose) returned to form at the St Andrews Links Trophy over the Jubilee and Old Courses at St Andrews. Westgate scored rounds of 71, 69, 73 and 73 to finish in a tie for 5th alongside Rhein Gibson of the USA. Westgate collects at total of 127.5 Pinnacle points which puts him back at the top of the Pinnacle Order of Merit.
The only other Welshman to make the cut was Ludlow’s Oliver Farr who scored a four round total of 302 following rounds of 67, 78, 78 and 79. Farr collects 50 Pinnacle points and moves into 5th place on the Pinnacle Order of Merit.
EDWARDS REMAINS AT NO 1
Richard Hooper, Adam Runcie, Stuart Runcie and Jason Shufflebotham were the only Welsh players to make the journey north to the Scottish Open Stroke Play at the Duke’s course, St Andrews. Unfortunately none of the players made the cut.
Nigel Edwards remains at the top of the Pinnacle Order of Merit.
EDWARDS BACK ON TOP
Nigel Edwards (Whitchurch) moved back to the top spot on the Pinnacle Order of Merit following his 5th place finish at the Welsh Open Stroke Play at Conwy. Edwards collects 47 Pinnacle points and moved from 4th to 1st on the list. Edwards, one behind after 36 holes fell away in the severe conditions at Conwy and scored rounds of 68, 75, 77 and 81.
Ben Enoch (Truro) was the only other Welsh player to score Pinnacle points finishing in a tie for 15th and collects 17 Pinnacle points. Enoch scored rounds rounds of 74, 78, 72 and 81.
England’s Chris Wood walked away with the title following rounds of 75, 75, 69 and 71 for a six stroke victory over Liphook’s Sam Hutsby.
GOULD 6TH AT BRABAZON
Zac Gould (Vale of Glamorgan) was the only Welsh player to make the cut at the Brabazon Trophy and finished in a tie for 6th place with Italy’s Frederico Colombo. Gould’s rounds on 70, 68 and 68, 10 under par, gives him 115 Pinnacle Order of Merit points and moves him into 3rd place on the Pinnacle list.
Gould’s return to form had been expected after steady performances at the Duncan Putter, Trubshaw Cup and the Irish Open and will give him plenty of confidence ahead of this week’s Welsh Open Stroke Play.
The Brabazon Trophy was reduced to three rounds after heavy rain affected play on Friday and Saturday.
ENOCH WINS CLWYD
Ben Enoch (Truro) continued his excellent form by winning his first Pinnacle Order of Merit event at the Clwyd Open and collects 100 Pinnacle points. Enoch’s rounds of 71, 69, 70 and 68 gave him a four round total of 278, 6 under par for a two stroke victory over Joe Vickery (Newport) and Jason Shufflebotham (Prestatyn). Shufflebotham and Vickery both closed with rounds of 65 at Wrexham and collect 50 Pinnacle points each.
James Frazer finished in 4th place after rounds of 71, 70, 73 and 69 and collects 30 Pinnacle points following on from his victory in the Carmarthenshire Open at Ashburnham.
Ben Enoch won the Jubilee Trophy at Prestatyn and Joe Vickery claimed the Egerton Vase at Wrexham with rounds of 71 and 65.
At the Irish Open Stroke Play, Zac Gould was the only Welsh player to make the cut and collects 30 Pinnacle points.
WESTGATE TOP WELSHMAN AT LYTHAM
Ben Westagate (Trevose) who won the recent Trubshaw Cup finished in a tie for 18th spot at the Lytham Trophy over the weekend. Westgate’s round of 71, 76, 72 and 76 gain him 63.2 Pinnacle Order of Merit points and puts him in the No 1 spot on the Pinnacle table.
Craig Evans was the next best Welshman on 299 strokes and a tie for 31st earning him 54 Pinnacle points, while Truro’s Ben Enoch was the only other Welshman to make the cut – this gains him 50 Pinnacle points.
WESTGATE TAKES TRUBSHAW
Ben Westagate (Trevose) won the Trubshaw Cup by six strokes at Tenby and Ashburnham over the weekend. Westagte’s rounds of 71, 67, 69 and 70 ensured he gained the 150 Pinnacle Order of merit points from Zac Gould (Vale of Glamorgan) who collects 90 Pinnacle points for his total of 283 strokes (69, 68, 75 and 71). Goould’s rounds of 69 and 68 at Tendy gave him victory in the Tenby Golden Eagle.
In joint third place were James Frazer (Pennard) and Oliver Farr (Ludlow) who finished on 284 and each collect 52.5 Pinnacle points. Frazer was in superb form on Sunday scoring rounds of 67 and 67 at Ashburnham for a ten under par total that enabled him to win the Carmarthenshire Open.
Other promising performances came from WenvoeCastle’s Nick James who finished 5th and 2007 Welsh Boys Champion Joe Vickery who finished 6th.
FOURTH PUTTER FOR EDWARDS
Whitchurch’s Nigel Edwards won the Duncan Putter for the fourth time with a seven stroke victory over second round leader Billy Hemstock from Teignmouth.
Edwards collects 150 Pinnacle Order of Merit points for the win and an additional 75 points awarded by the Selectors for reaching the final of the South African Amateur Championship at Royal Durban and now heads the table after the first event.
In tough blustery conditions on Saturday, Edwards shot rounds of 70 and 74 to trail by three strokes from Billy Hemstock and Billy Fowles (Wentworth). Edwards then produced the round of the tournament with a four under par 66 and finished with a 70 to seal victory by 7 strokes.
Ben Enoch (Truro) started the season in fine fashion with a total of 288 to finish in 3rd place helped by a closing round of 68 to gain 60 Pinnacle points, Ben Westgate (Trevose) scored 289 for a tie for 4th and 41.5 Pinnacle points while 14 year old Rhys Pugh was in consistent form with rounds of 72, 74, 71 and 75 to finish in a tie for 8th and collect 24.5 Pinnacle points