Bridesmaid Barnett Bids To End Play-Off Heartache

Published: 04 June 2009

Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship Press Release

A former European Tour golfer will attempt to shake off his ‘nearly man’ tag in Great Britain and Ireland’s flagship event for PGA professionals later this month.

Andrew Barnett from North Wales Golf Range has come closer than most to lifting the Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship - the ultimate club pro’s prize - only to be denied via two dramatic play-offs in the past two years.

He will strive to make it third time lucky at Scotland’s imposing Dundonald Links, which is hosting the 72-hole event from June 16-19, and despite the play-off defeats at Royal Porthcawl and Moortown, Barnett is upbeat about his prospects.

“I have got a good record in the Glenmuir having tied first the last two years so I can’t ask much more of myself,” said Barnett.

“I’m just trying to get better and move up to the next level.  I don’t want to go back on tour but I want to improve my game.”

Barnett, whose close pal Matthew Tottey from nearby North Wales Golf Club is among 14 North Region pros to have qualified for the £78,000 event, revealed he has benefited from working with top sports psychologist.

“I saw Karl Morris a couple of years ago through the PGA’s Continuous Professional Development programme and that seems to have made a difference. I’m more relaxed,” he added.

“The mental side matters an awful lot because we can all play but managing that side of it gives an extra edge. I’m actually playing better since coming off Tour.”

A good championship at Dundonald Links will also rubber stamp Barnett’s selection again for Great Britain and Ireland’s PGA Cup team – the club pros equivalent of the Ryder Cup.

“The PGA Cup is a target,” confirmed Barnett. “Representing GB&I is the highest honour as a pro and until you’ve done it you don’t realise quite how special it is.”

Tottey meanwhile, who will be sharing digs with Barnett, is making his debut in the Glenmuir event having put his Tour dreams on hold while he carves out a career teaching and running the pro shop at Llandudno.

Should Tottey manage to win he will earn a unique PGA double having also won the PGA Assistants’ Championship (twice).

“This is a great tournament and so it would be good to have on the CV and everything that goes with it,” he said.
 
Tottey, who used to room with Richard Finch, and played on the Challenge Tour with the likes of Oliver Wilson, is not giving up on his playing ambitions however.
 
“I used to room with Richard a few years ago to keep costs down and he has gone on to win a few times and it shows it can be done,” he said.

“The boys on Tour are not doing anything too different from us other than having more consistency.
 
 “I played 20 or 30 events in two or three years but it is so expensive, times are hard and I have been struggling for sponsorship to fund it all. I have put it on hold but I have not lost the goal to compete on tour.”

Other North Region pros aiming to shine on Scotland’s west coast include Barry Taylor (Houghwood), Paul Eales (Garstang), Jonathan Cheetham (Gatley) and David Smith (Swinton Park).

Follow the fortunes of the 156 strong field with live scoring from Dundonald Links exclusively on www.PGA.info

Dundonald Links will also host the Glenmuir Women’s PGA Professional Championship over June 18 and 19.