Bebb shines at Polzeath

Sion Bebb hit the jackpot on a seven-hour round trip from South Wales to North Cornwall to play a practice round before the final Order of Merit tournament of the season.

Not only did his first visit to the attractive Point at Polzeath course revamped by owner Jeremy Davies prove informative, he also won the club’s pro-am. His 400-mile journey was rewarded a with a £725 cheque after a remarkable round of four-under-par 68 in horrendous conditions.

The Morlais Castle club professional is second in the OOM and is determined to finish top after the season-ending event at the same course next month.

The day could have been abandoned by lunchtime. Tournament controller Bob Martin suspended play for half-an-hour because the morning battering from heavy deluges brought puddles on some greens.

He said: “If it hadn’t been for the tireless work of the greenstaff we might not have finished. I doubted whether anyone would break par but the weather improved for the late starters.”

Head greenkeeper Tom Collings, who was playing in Weston-super-Mare pro Dan Toogood’s team, even stopped playing to help with the remedial work.

Bebb was out in three-under 33 after birdies at the first, sixth, seventh and ninth. He added two more at 15 and 17.

Former PGA champion Scott Drummond was one shot behind after coming home in three-under 33. Michael Watson (Wessex Golf Centre) made four birdies in the last five holes to be out in 33 on his way to third place on 70.  Paul Turpin (Carlyon Bay) made a three-birdie start as the other player to break par with 71.

Mark Arrowsmith (St Enodoc) shot level par while Sherborne’s  Jon Bevan, who shared sixth with Paul Hendriksen (Ivybridge) and Grant Slater (Carlyon Bay), was five over par after 11 holes before making four birdies over the final six holes in his 73.

Bevan with Gary Franks, Steve Buse and plus-three handicapper Joe Cruse, the former Cornwall county champion from St Enodoc , won the team prize with 83 points.

Somerset’s Kevin Pitts led the Torquay Golf Club trio of Ian Rowlands, Harrison Thorne and Sally Spokes into second on 82 while Hendriksen’s  host  club team of Roy Arnold, Shane Dingle and Jackie Smeeth came  third on 81.