Stockton Is Red Hot

It took Alex Stockton about an hour and a half to get properly warmed up, but when he did, the inward half of Little Aston golf course near Birmingham was put to the sword.

Stockton, a 24-year-old pro at Moor Hall in Sutton Coldfield, was an early starter in the Midland Region qualifying round for Britain and Ireland’s flagship event for club professionals – the Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship – but he set a formidable target, a three-under 69, which withstood the attacks of 86 other players throughout the day. His closest challenger was Halfpenny Green’s Darren Prosser, on 70.

“I putted well all day, but it took me forever to get on top of my game”, said Stockton. He certainly achieved that after a front nine of 37, two over par. Four birdies in five holes from the 13th, on top of his first gain, at the 432-yard 10th, left him signing for a flawless inward half of 32, five under par.

He now leads the 18 Midland qualifiers, but not his Moor Hall boss, Cameron Clark, (he lost in an eight-man play-off for the remaining two places),who’ll head for Scotland to join a field of 154 players in the 72-hole final at Dundonald Links, near Troon next month (June 16-19).

Prosser, boasting a glittering amateur career that included being on the victorious Walker Cup team in 1989, returned a two-under 70, thanks largely to an outward 33 of three birdies and one bogey.   One of each on a level-par inward half was a satisfying outcome for the Dudley pro.