Season's best take on Walton Heath
23/10/2017
The leading PGA Professionals from Great Britain and Ireland will convene at Walton Heath Golf Club this autumn for the 12th staging of the PGA Play-Offs. Steven Carpenter previews the event.
THE EVENT
The PGA Play-Offs were first staged in 2006 and have become a popular finale to the season for the Association's leading professionals. The field comprises the top three players from each of The PGA’s seven regions, the winner and runner-up at the Titleist & FootJoy PGA Professional Championship, and the winner of the Galvin Green PGA Assistants’ Championship.
The Championship is a 54-hole strokeplay event with 18 holes to be played on October 30, October 31 and November 1. As well as an increased prize fund of £25,000, there is an added incentive for all 24 players: the top four will earn the right to play in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May and two places are also available in the British Masters.
THE PLAYERS
Paul O’Hara (right) will be hoping to end what has been a hugely successful season on a high by winning the PGA Play-Offs. The in-form North Lanarkshire Leisure professional qualified for Walton Heath after winning the PGA Professional Championship in Ireland in June.
Joining O’Hara will be fellow Scot Christopher Currie who finished runner-up in the same event. Currie’s confidence will be high having recently helped Great Britain & Ireland to victory over America in the 28th PGA Cup in September.
Another player who will be hoping to mount a challenge is Matthew Fieldsend. The 24-year-old held his nerve to win the Galvin Green PGA Assistants’ Championship in August and will be looking to make a name for himself against more senior and experienced pros.
THE VENUE
Walton Heath is steeped in history and is home to two of the finest inland courses in the country.
It has staged many significant amateur and professional tournaments down the years, including the Senior Open Championship and US Open qualifiers. One of the club’s finest moments came in 1981 when it hosted the Ryder Cup between Great Britain & Ireland and America.
The PGA Play-Offs will be played on the historic Old Course which was designed by Herbert Fowler.
Speaking ahead of the event, Walton Heath club secretary Stuart Christie said: “We have a rich tradition of hosting some of the biggest golfing events in the calendar, including the Ryder Cup in 1981 and more recently the US Open regional qualifier, which has been held here annually since 2005. With a number of European and Challenge Tour invitations up for grabs, there’s bound to be plenty of high quality golf and competition on show.”
THE HISTORY
Woodhall Spa hosted the first PGA Play-Offs in 2006 which was won by Gary Marks. In 2011, Titleist, manufacturers of the world’s number one golf ball, signed a three-year deal to sponsor the event, which in the same year was played for the first time overseas at the PGA Sultan Course in Turkey.
Richard Wallis made history when he won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012, while Greig Hutcheon won the event for a second time in 2013.
Niall Kearney became the first Irish winner in 2014. That earned him a place in the GB & Ireland PGA Cup team a year later when he holed the winning putt against America in California. Matthew Cort (above) won the 2016 PGA Play-offs.
For more information about the PGA Play-Offs or to follow live scoring from Walton Heath from October 30 to November 1 click here.
