Double for Licata at Bristol and Clifton
01/08/2017
Giuseppe Licata made a clean sweep of the Bristol and Clifton pro-am by winning both the individual and team sections, but in-form Richard O’Hanlon (St Kew) matched his two-under-par 68 to share the spoils.
The Chipping Sodbury teaching professional specialises in playing the Gloucestershire and Somerset courses successfully in the county programme after winning at the B and C last year.
Licata found that winning feeling again as he tasted his first pro-am success since Taunton and Pickeridge two years ago.
This time he was four under par after birdies at the first, fifth, ninth and tenth. He swiftly dropped three shots from the 13th before a closing birdie.
O’Hanlon started with birdies at the first, third and seventh before also shedding three quick shots before making gains at the 16th and 18th.
Powerful left hander Greg Davies (South Cerney), who won the Galvin Green Assistants qualifier over the same course in May, produced his best round of the season to finish third on 69 as the only other player to break par on a mainly dry day over a course offering a number of tricky pin positions.
Kristian Crane (Cotswold Edge), Stuart Little (Minchinhampton), Dan Toogood (Weston-super-Mare) and Toby Hunt (St Mellons) shared fourth on 71.
Hunt’s amateur partner one-handicapper Mike Britton aced the seventh hole with a wedge for his seventh career hole-in-one.
Licata’s team of Michael Pearson, Jason Ford and John Rhymes scored 13-under-par 85 to beat Davies’ trio of Mike Williams, David Sandilands and Thomas Davies by one shot.
The third team of Pat Murphy, John Meadows and Mark Ingram was led by Portuguese professional Daniel Silva who shot 70. As the American Golf pro does not start his PGA training until October he was ineligible to win a prize so home assistant Andrew McGreevy, who led Jason Dayus, Craig Short and Michael Poole, took the third place professional’s cheque.
