Clark’s Desperate To Make PGA Cup Side
Published: 08 May 2009
Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship Press Release
Anglo Scot Cameron Clark, head pro at Moor Hall in Sutton Coldfield, is the calibre of player who has been knocking on the door of competitive recognition for several years.
Six years a full-time player, including activity on the European Tour and in the United States, Cameron, now 35, is desperate to reach what most of his contempories consider the pinnacle of achievement – selection for the 10-man PGA Cup team to play the United States this September in the club pros’ version of the Ryder Cup.
And to fulfil that, he needs to draw attention to himself in the one and only selection event, the Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship.
As he prepares for the Midland Region’s qualifying round for that at Little Aston on Friday (May 22), Clark, taking a few days’ break in the Cotswolds, reminisced about how he thought he’d done himself a world of good in last year’s championship at Moortown.
“Everything was going right for the first two rounds (70, 70), and there I was tied third just a shot behind the leaders. Wheels and off spring to mind for the remainder of the championship – a 77 and then one worse in the final round.
“To say I was disappointed at the outcome is an under-statement. But the good thing is, this year’s Glenmuir carries twice the number of qualifying points, so a decent finish in the 72-hole final (at Dundonald Links, near Troon from June 16-19) and I might be in at the shake-up.”
First of all, the Warwickshire man must be in the top 18 of the 83 players teeing up at Little Aston to reach the final. Secondly, he’ll need to finish in the top six in Scotland to be certain of a PGA Cup place, again in Scotland, at The Carrick on Loch Lomond.
Someone who already knows what it’s like to represent Britain and Ireland against the Americans, not once but twice, is Little Aston’s head pro, Brian Rimmer. A former Glenmuir winner, Rimmer just missed out on exemption to this June’s final – the first 20 at Moortown last year go straight into the following year’s 72 holes – missing by a single shot.
But injury makes Rimmer extremely doubtful to be teeing up over his own course.
“I started having ligament trouble in my left wrist in early February”, he explained. “I’ve had an MRI scan and injections but it’s still nagging away. I can demonstrate when I’m teaching but can’t hit a ball. It’s not looking too promising.”
Others without fitness problems and who should clear the Little Aston hurdle are Daniel Greenwood (Forest Pines), Phil Hinton (Chesterton Valley), Ian Walley (Shirland), Darren Prosser (Halfpenny Green).
This will be a record 17 years’ sponsorship by the Scottish golfwear manufacturers.
“The start of the Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship always marks the start of the tournament season for PGA pros, and we’re really enjoying the standards in this year’s qualifying finals,” said the company’s marketing director Andy Bough.
“Now more than ever the Glenmuir Championship offers professionals the chance to compete with fellow professionals, but also to meet and share views and ideas on current trading. We hope all of the competitors will enjoy this year’s tournament.”
Notes to editors:
The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) has been at the forefront of developing professional golf and promoting interest in the game since it was formed in 1901. Based at The Belfry, it has seven regional offices, represents 7,500 qualified professionals working in more than 60 countries worldwide and annually organises more than 900 golf tournaments and events. The PGA is also the trustee of the Ryder Cup Trophy and a partner in Ryder Cup Ltd.