Maiden West win for Bickerton
29/09/2015
Former European Tour player John Bickerton won his first PGA in England and Wales (South West) event with an impressive five-under-par 66 in the Burnham and Berrow 125th anniversary pro-am.
Bickerton, now representing Minehead and West Somerset Golf Club, dropped just one stroke on the par three ninth when his errant tee shot ended in a greenside bunker after making birdies at the second, fourth and eighth. He was back in three-under 32 picking up shots at the 11th, 16th and 17th.
Midlander Bickerton had to endure 19 operations in recent years on an elbow injury which curtailed his European Tour career although his ability to practice and play for any length of time is still severely restricted.
He is beginning to play a little more now and chalked up his first success in a Gloucester and Somerset PGA medal over his new home course in November.
He said: “I felt really good and the great Burnham course and weather couldn’t have been better. I missed a short putt early on then changed my grip and started to putt better.”
Phillip Price, another former Tour winner, set the early pace with a five-birdie round of 66 blemished by a solitary dropped shot at the seventh.
Ed Goodwin (Cirencester) produced another impressive four-birdie round to share second with nines of 34 and 31 in a flawless display that would have certainly brought victory but for the form of the two ex-Tour players.
Tom Jessamine, the Woodbury Park assistant who has featured several times this season, was the only other player under par on 70.
Michael Watson (Wessex Golf Centre) fresh from featuring in the historic PGA Cup win in California, shared fifth with Rob Butterworth (Churston) and Philip Brookes (The Point at Polzeath ), two occasional players who produced their best displays for a long time in carding par rounds of 71.
Bickerton also took the team prize alongside Bob Tye, Steve Lowe and Leigh Gibbs on countback from Price playing with Phil Coleman, Matt Durbin and Josh Martin on 86 points. Dom Narramore and his team from Dorset Golf & Country Club, Callum Ward, Mark Narramore and Mike Swift, were third on 84.
