Trio split Waterlooville spoils

Darren Walkley, James Cook and James Ablett returned cards of three-under par 69 to tie for victory in the re-arranged Waterlooville Pro-Am.

After the original August date was abandoned due to torrential rain, Waterlooville Golf Club and The PGA in England (South) managed to reschedule the tournament for October 4 with all 40 teams completing their rounds.

The bonus for the three winners was that each took home a handsome cheque for £933.

Ablett’s card was the cleanest with four birdies and just the one dropped shot. Walkley was three-under at the turn and leading the field on four-under after the 11^th. A bogey at the next was repaired immediately with a birdie, but another expensive bogey at the 15^th meant he finished on 69 and tied with Ablett.

Cook’s start was a distinctly unpromising double bogey, and while a birdie at the next hole helped, he needed to find several more to be in with a chance. Birdies duly arrived at the sixth and seventh, while a bogey at the eighth was made good by another birdie at the ninth. 

Now one-under at the turn, he birdied the 10^th, 12^th and 16^th to be in sight of an outright victory, but a dropped shot at the final hole cost him dear. Romsey’s Elliott Groves was the runner up with a two-under-par 70 and a cheque for £650.

In the team event Andy Raitt led his amateurs home to a fine win, while Ablett led his three to second spot. Ablett’s enjoyed three Pro-Am wins in the last four weeks, and with 11 victories in total to date and plenty of high placings, he’s also stretched his lead in the PGA South Money List, and is starting to look uncatchable.

For a full list of results from the re-arranged Waterlooville Pro-Am click here.