Oates Relishes Southport Challenge - Golf Clothing Journal

A three-putt on the eighth green was the only flaw in an otherwise splendid round of golf for Renishaw Park pro' John Oates.

Playing over Moortown in Leeds, the Sheffield ace fired a four-under 68 in winning the north-east regional qualifier for the Glenmuir Club Professional Championship, to be played over one of his favourite courses, Southport & Ainsdale, 10 - 13 August.

"I've very happy memories of the course", said John afterwards. "I qualified for the Open Championship there in 1991, and then played all four rounds at Royal Birkdale where Ian Baker-Finch won."

John was in sparkling form. Three birdies in the first seven holes, offset only by that three-putt on the short eighth hole, had him out in a two-under 35. In a flawless inward half he trimmed the 428-yard 13th to three strokes, and followed up with another birdie at the next, where his five-iron approach shot landed a foot from the pin.

Now he'll spearhead the north-east challenge at Southport, where the winner from a field of 156 pro's from all over Great Britain and Ireland picks up £10,000. Playing Moortown for the first time, Michael Nesbit also trimmed the former Ryder Cup course to a four-under 68.

The Marfen Hall pro', making his first appearance in the championship, fired seven birdies, offset by three bogeys, and unfortunately for him two were on the inward half which deprived him of the sponsors' commemorative crystal.

He was therefore beaten on the inward-half countback by Oates. Nesbit, though, was in confident form, exemplified by an amazing 25-foot putt with a four-foot break on the short 10th green, which unerringly found the middle of the hole.

Buoyed by his recent pro-am win at Dinsdale Spa, Michael now aims to play around a dozen PGA Europro Tour events this year, having put in some hard work with Matfen head pro', John Harrison.

"I'm also going to have another crack at the European Tour Qualifying School at the end of the year," added 26-year-old Nesbit. He reached the second of the three stages last season.

Now he heads for Southport & Ainsdale, another course with which he is not familiar. Apart from the winner's £10,000 players will earn valuable points towards selection for the PGA Cup team to meet the United States (the club pros' version of the Ryder Cup) at The K Club near Dublin next yea.