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First-Class Venue… And Champions

It was a week of churning emotions for so many players; the scoring varied from a hole in one to an 11; and at the close of a protracted final day, worthy champions, and a promising-looking PGA Cup team emerged.

11 July 2005 2 minute read First-Class Venue… And Champions

The 13th Glenmuir Club Professional Championship had an inspired location, the matchless Woodhall Spa, a tree-girt gem tucked away in the heart of rural Lincolnshire. When the week began fears had been expressed that the championship tees would bring even the best to their knees. Only on one day were minor concessions made, reducing the fearsome overall yardage from 7,080 to a mere 7,011!

 

And what happened? Three players in the top six were never over par in any round, we had two scintillating 66's, players were falling over themselves to heap praise on the course, and the tournament director, Kevin Feeney, claimed the condition of the course was the best of any on which he'd run a tournament.

 

But the first place we should start is in acknowledging the 2005 champion, Matthew J Ellis representing Clays Golf Centre. The outer calmness of the 6ft.5in. Wrexham player - his deliberate, almost leisurely pace belying an inner maelstrom, as he later confessed - helped him to overcome a play-off challenge from Paul Wesselingh, Mark Reynolds and Darren Parris that was to last three holes.

 

The jockeying among the leading players during a humid afternoon gave the scoreboard operators little respite. The first player to nail his colours to the mast was 32-year-old Parris from North Foreland.

 

Having begun the final day five off the pace, the Kent player ripped out a 66, thanks to a best-of-the-week outward half 30, comprising four birdies and an eagle. His only dropped shot came immediately after the turn, but two further gains, at 16 and 18, left him sharing the professional record that had been set up the previous day by Welshman, Simon Edwards. Parris had thus set a target of 285, seven under par.

 

The top game to watch was the pairing of Ellis and Wesselingh. After 12 holes the Kedleston Park man looked a spent force, having marked a bogey on each of his last three holes to lie four behind the Welshman. But the word resolute could have been made for Paul. He birdied the long 14th, both made gains at the 15th, and then Ellis had to chip out from behind trees on the left at the 17th, and Wesselingh just shaved the hole chasing a birdie. Now the gap was two with one to play.

 

While the Wrexham man played the 540-yard last in conservative fashion, taking three to reach the green, the powerfully built Derby pro' launched a three-wood around 250 yards and found the green, 16 feet from the flag. He must have thought it was his day as the eagle putt went straight in - and Ellis could only par.

 

Now there were three for the play-off. But in the penultimate pairing, Holland-based Mark Reynolds muscled his way into the shootout by birdieing the last two holes for a 70, and another 285.

 

The 18th hole was the choice of the sudden-death action. First time round Parris made his exit after bush trouble. The next time the green was visited Wesselingh was left with an innocent-looking three-footer for victory.

 

Said Ellis afterwards "I had my ball in my bag, my glove and hat were off, and I was ready to congratulate Paul."

 

The unthinkable happened. "I couldn't feel my putter in my hand at all", said a disconsolate Wesselingh. "I've played in three Opens, and in the PGA at Wentworth, but I wanted to win this one so much."

 

The ball stayed out. Back up the 18th again, and this time Reynolds couldn't avoid trouble. Ellis was serenity personified, 10 feet from the hole in three. Wesselingh, bunkered off the tee, left his long third shot well left off the green in clumpy stuff with a cavernous bunker between him and the flag that was only a third of the way across the green.

 

A superb lob wedge, almost straight up into the air, reminiscent of Mickelson at his best, landed no more than a foot from the hole, a shot worthy of winning any championship.

 

Ellis, though, was having none of it. After much deliberation his 10-footer went straight in, worth £10,000 and top place in the PGA Cup team to take on the United States at the K Club in September.

 

After a four-man play-off for the remaining place, Leigh's Andrew Baguley birdied the 18th (their second hole). In his only other PGA Cup appearance, in 1994, he beat the reigning US Club Professional Champion, Jeff Roth, by 3 & 2.

 

PGA Cup Team 2005

 

Captain - Jim Farmer (Jim Farmer Golf)

 

Vice Captain- Brendan McGovern (Headfort)

 

Andrew Baguley (Leigh)

 

Richard Dinsdale (Parc Golf Academy)

 

Simon Edwards (Clays Golf Centre)

 

Matthew J. Ellis (Clays Golf Centre)

 

Gordon Law (Uphall)

 

Fraser Mann (Musselburgh)

 

Tony Nash (Lostwithiel)

 

Darren Parris (North Foreland)

 

Mark Reynolds (Golf Centrum, Noordjvik, Holland)

 

Paul Wesselingh (Kedleston Park)

 

By Ron Marshall

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