Searle holds on for career-best triumph
27/07/2017
High Post’s Mark Searle hung on to claim victory in the Cumberwell Park Players Championship as Dudsbury’s Lee Thompson made a spirited late challenge to reduce the winning margin to one shot.
Searle, 35, who shattered the course record with an incredible ten-under-par 61 on the opening day, said after a level par 71 second round: “I just got over the line for the biggest win of my career.”
He played European and Challenge Tour golf during his early days as a professional but described this win worth £1,900 as 'fantastic'.
“It means everything to me and is a reward for the hours of hard work and practice I have put in. I have been waiting for a result like this for a long time and just hope this is the start of more.”
Searle, who won two Wiltshire amateur championships at the Cumberwell course he knows well, started three shots ahead of Paul Turpin (Carlyon Bay) and five better than Dan Carter (Upavon). But the challenge eventually came from the seasoned players who had underperformed on the first day.
Seniors Tour winner George Ryall (Burnham and Berrow) shot the day’s only faultless round of 65, Ross Whitelock (St Mellion) joined him on seven-under 135 after 67 and Richard O’Hanlon (St Kew) made it a three-way tie with 68.
But Thompson is probably the region’s most formidable campaigner. Although Searle increased his lead to four at the turn, the Dorset man kept chipping away at the lead. He made four of his seven birdies in five holes from the third.
A final gain at the 17th took him to nine-under-par and in with a chance. But Searle’s calm final two-putt for par from eight feet was just enough.
Thompson said: “I was six back at the start of the day and my target was simply to go as low as I could. I’ve not been playing a lot but to finish second was really satisfying.”
Matt Dearden (Vale Resort) claimed sixth after a second 68 while Adam Frayne (Yelverton) and Carter shared seventh on five-under 137.
The shocks continued on a day of cloud, wind and intermittent rain. Order of Merit leaders faltered. Leader Sion Bebb (Morlais Castle) was suffering from illness and exhaustion, Paul Hendriksen (Ivybridge), who won four out of five events earlier in the month, said: “My iron play is simply not good enough at the moment.”
Michael Watson (Wessex Golf Centre), winner of four events in recent weeks including the pro-am, and Dudsbury Masters winner Chris Gill (Newquay) languished in joint 51st.
