LEGENDARY amateur golfer Gary Wolstenholme has clinched his first ever professional title.

Wolstenholme, who turns 50 next month, won the latest PGA EuroPro tour event - The Stoke-By-Nayland Championship 2010 in Essex.

Awarded an MBE in 2007 for his services to golf, Wolstenholme won 218 caps for England, played in the Walker Cup six times and helped win the World Amateur Team Championship in 1998.

He only turned professional in 2008 aged 48 and hopes this victory proves the springboard to more success.

“It feels great,” said a delighted Wolstenholme, who collects £10,000 after he finished four shots ahead of James Busby and Brendan McCarroll.

“It still hasn’t sunk in but the really nice thing is that all the hard work has paid off.

“Although I’ve played well recently, I’ve not been scoring well so to go out there and have three decent rounds and win a tournament by four shows that work has paid off.

“Winning this tournament is certainly up there with the other things I’ve achieved.

“The fact I’ve achieved so much as an amateur doesn’t matter as in effect you’re back to square one as all of a sudden you’re playing for your living.

“When you’re playing for money even if you’re not in contention you don’t give up. You have to make the cut and get the money. All the money and points that you get added to your Order of Merit total really makes a big difference.

“But it was important for me to prove to myself and other people that I’m still a good player.

“The EuroPro Tour is a good standard of play and the top ten or 20 are really good golfers. Although I’ve been knocking on the door in the last few weeks, it’s great to make the transition and win an event. Hopefully it’ll open some more doors for me.

“The Seniors Tour is my goal without any doubt. I’ll be going to their Tour School in November but there are only six cards there.

“There are a lot of good players so I will have to play really well if I’m going to get one of those six cards. It won’t be easy to get on to the Seniors Tour.”

Ireland’s Brendan McCarroll had the advantage going into the final day but picked a bad time to have his worst round of the tournament.

McCarroll was aiming for his first victory on the Tour but bogeys at the fourth, sixth and tenth cost him dearly.

However, his tied second place was still his best ever finish on the Tour, beating his previous effort of tied fourth at the Players Club in Bristol in July 2007.

Other high finishers included Graeme Clark, the 2007 Order of Merit Champion, and Daniel Perrett who both ended on eight-under, with South African Darryn Lloyd among those on seven-under.

ustralian Daniel Gaunt still heads the 2010 Order of Merit despite not competing at Stoke-by-Nayland.

He could have been overtaken by Craig Lee, Ian Keenan, James Hepworth or Stuart Archibald but none of them finished in the top ten.

Lee and Keenan both finished in tied 12th on five-under, Hepworth came 33rd on evens, while Archibald finished in 43rd place at two-over.

Colchester-based Jamie Moul was the leader on the opening day in the event that was being staged at his home course.

At the start of the third day Moul was three shots off the lead but his hopes of winning evaporated when he hit five bogeys in his opening 13 holes, although he still did enough for a top ten finish.

Other local players included Bury St Edmunds’ Lawrence Dodd in tied 12th, Chelmsford duo Jack Clarke and Lloyd Kennedy, who came tied 38th and tied 44th respectively, while Craig Housden (Channels) ended 49th with Dave Thomas (Hanbury Manor and Braintree Golf) in 52nd.

To see the full scores go to www.europrotour.com and click on ‘Score Updates’.

DAY TWO REPORT
A number of golfers are still in contention to win the latest PGA EuroPro Tour event – The Stoke-by-Nayland Championship 2010.

More than half a dozen players have hopes of winning the competition as only five shots separate the top ten going into the last day.

Ireland’s Brendan McCarroll has moved to the top of the leaderboard as seven birdies inside the first 12 holes set him up for a fine second round.

Gary Wolstenholme (Carus Green GC) ended the second day on -12 as he bids for his highest finish of the season.

Colchester-based Jamie Moul, 25, the pre-tournament betting favourite, is still well-placed to win the competition that is being staged at his home club.

Moul enjoyed a sensational end to day one with a run of eight birdies in ten holes to have a one-shot lead at the start of day two.

His performance on Wednesday was not as impressive as he went round in 69, three under par, to move to 11-under for the tournament.

Lawrence Dodd, who hails from Bury St Edmunds in nearby Suffolk, is also in contention for the £10,000 top prize.

Dodd, 26, who also regularly plays on the Challenge Tour, sits three shots behind Moul after a score on Wednesday of five-under, including an eagle at the par-five second.

But there were mixed fortunes for other local players as Andy Shakespear (Five Lakes), Ben Kerr (Saffron Walden), Warren Bennett (Sudbury Golf Club), Jaques Engelbrecht (Stoke-by-Nayland) and Jake Wakelin (Benton Hall / Sports Academy) failed to make the cut.

Graeme Clark (Doncaster Golf Club) began the day one shot behind Moul and he started well with an eagle on the second and birdies at the fifth and sixth but dropped shots at the 11th and 12th hit his hopes.

Daniel Perrett (Clevedon Golf Club) had one of the most eventful rounds with nine birdies and four bogeys but still did enough to move up to ten-under for the tournament.

Scotland’s Craig Lee, a winner at Bovey Castle earlier in the month, has forced himself into the chasing pack with a score of six-under today.

Ian Keenan, third in the Order of Merit, is among a large group of players on seven-under.

The top 50 players and ties have qualified for the final day’s play, which takes place on Thursday.

GRAEME Clark is on course for more success on the PGA EuroPro Tour as he leads on day one of The Stoke-by-Nayland Championship 2010.

Clark, 33, is looking for his fifth victory on the tour in four seasons after shooting an opening round score of seven-under at the Essex course.

Birdies on five of the first seven holes along with further ones at the 12th, 14th and 15th helped him to an early lead, although he later dropped a shot at the 17th.

Clark (Doncaster GC) has enjoyed great success on the tour having won at Marriott Tudor Park in August 2009 and collecting three victories during 2007 as he finished top of the Order of Merit.

With £10,000 going to the winner, a victory here could catapult Clark up the Order of Merit as he bids to reclaim a place on the Challenge Tour after an unsuccessful season there in 2008.

Scotland ’s Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel) had an eventful day as nine birdies and three bogeys left him on six-under and in second place.

James Busby (The Shropshire), Neil Walker (Rotherham Golf Club) and Ireland ’s Brendan McCarroll (JFG Acadamie) are all a shot further back on five-under.

Order of Merit leader Daniel Gaunt is not in action this week on the EuroPro Tour so a good week from one of his nearest challengers could see a change at the top of the money list.

Ian Keenan (Royal Liverpool), a winner at Castle Dargan earlier this month, is well-placed as he is one of a host of golfers on four-under.

Others on the same mark include Michael Lowe (Wentworth), Michael Collins (foreireland.com), George Woolgar (capitalservices.com), Colin Goudie (seeitnowsports.com) and James Freeman (Worksop GC).

Robert Steele, who won at Burhill Golf Club earlier in the season, needs a stunning second round if he is to make the cut.

He endured a miserable day as double bogeys at the fourth and 17th, along with a triple-bogey seven at the par-four sixth, left him on seven-over, 14 shots behind Clark.

The second round starts at 7.30am on Wednesday and at the end of which the top 50 players plus ties will qualify for the final round on Thursday.

To find out all the latest scores and news, please go to the official website www.europrotour.com and click on ‘Score Updates’ on the right-hand side.

Date posted: June 29, 2010

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