Jones misses out over seven holes in gales

Ashley Wood club professional Paul Jones was ecstatic after shooting four-under-par 68 in horrendous conditions in the prestigious Cotswold Hills pro-am in Cheltenham. 

But, after a lengthy wait, he was gutted when tournament controller Tom Sheffield, the host club and main sponsors Adey Professional Heating Solutions, who entered ten of the 42 teams, decided to settle the outcome over the first seven holes.

With a third of the saturated, gale-swept field still to complete their rounds, play was suspended at 5.15pm and abandoned an hour later.

“It was probably the best 68 I have ever made,” said the luckless Jones who completed the back nine in an impressive one-under in view of the conditions. 

But, instead of winning, he shared third with Henry Pallas (Upavon) and Giuseppe Licata (Chipping Sodbury) who were also two-under after seven holes.

So Dan Carter (Upavon) and PGA Cup winning captain Jon Bevan (Sherborne) pocketed £800 each for four-under scores of 25. Carter made four birdies while Bevan’s eagle on the seventh proved most profitable. Jones had to settle for £451.

Joe Ferguson (Celtic Manor), Richard O’Hanlon (St Kew) and Greg Davies (South Cerney) also missed out after battling to be under par after 18 holes.

Carter made it a double as his Adey-sponsored team of scratch county player Harrison Ottley-Wood, Neil Lake and Paul Vicary were first in the team section on six-under 52. They beat Barrie Forster (North Wilts) and amateurs Tony Bennett, Paul Keegan and Paul Warrick and Licata’s Adey-backed trio of Matt Cooper, Andy Hughes and Graham Harden on countback.

Sheffield said: "It was a major disappointment for the club who work so hard to make this one of the premier pro-ams in the region, but there was no alternative apart from replaying at a later date which was not possible."