Hunter set to be the hunted after scorching first round at Mendip Spring
10/08/2021
Jacob Hunter set a scorching pace in the first round of the PGA West Region Championship and in doing so equalled the record for the Brinsea course at Mendip Spring Golf Club.
Indeed, had it not been for a bogey on the final hole when he found a bunker and then over-cooked his escape the 22-year-old would have broken it.
Similarly, in respect of the course record, a bogey at the par-four 10th proved costly.
These, however, were the only two blemishes in a six under par round of 65 that featured eight birdies.
All of which has left him two shots clear of the 75-strong field competing for the £1,400 first prize in the region’s third PGA-supported Order of Merit event of the season.
Reflecting on his round, Hunter, who is attached to Broadstone Golf Club, Dorset, said: “I played some nice stuff out there.
“I made a few birdies up to the turn and on those reachable par fives going in. I made a sloppy bogey on 18 when I landed in the back bunker but I’m happy with six-under.
“The course suits me. It’s fairly forgiving off the tee in places, the greens are soft so you can play some tight golf with your irons. I feel my iron play is the best part of my game – I hit a few close irons and holed a few putts. That’s where the six-under comes from.”
Hunter was just one of six players to break par and goes into the final round with Michael Watson from Wessex Golf Centre as his closest pursuer.
Ryan Pope of Exeter Golf & Country Club is two shots further back and leads the chase to win the Turier Scales-sponsored competition for PGA Trainees.
Meanwhile, four-time WPGA Championship winner Tracy Loveys is a shot clear of defending champion Georgia Lewis in the women’s competition.
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