Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Wallis well in the clear
Canterbury PGA pro Richard Wallis showed his class at Scotland Hills, shooting 64 and 67 for an 11-underpar total to win The PGA in Kent Championship.
Scott Stevens, of The Ridge, was three back in second and a further shot adrift in third was last year’s champion Benn Barham, of Pentland Golf.
Littlestone’s Charlie Wilson was fourth and the leading trainee for the second year in a row.
Wallis took full advantage of his recently- acquired local knowledge, shooting a superb morning round of a seven-under-par 64 to take a two-shot lead over Barham.
In hot pursuit with rounds of 67 were Stevens and Wilson.
Determined to maintain his lead and claim the title in the afternoon round, Wallis opened his bid with a birdie and made another at the third to reach nine-under.
A bogey at the fourth was soon repaired with two more birdies at the seventh and eighth to stretch his lead.
Wallis reeled-off six more pars before finding another birdie at the 15th and with pars on the last three holes, no-one could touch him on 11-under.
Wallis’ previous wins this year have included the PGA Prince’s 27 and the Westcoast Pro-am at Bearwood Lakes which netted Wallis the largest winner’s cheque of the season.
He said: “Winning the county championship means a lot, especially with such a strong field.
“I made the most of the opportunities that came my way with the 64 in the morning and I was pleased to follow it with a 67, which in the event was enough to stay well clear of the others.”
Whitstable & Seasalter GC’S Finals Weekend saw eight knockout competitions concluded over one weekend.
The men’s main competition was the Captain’s Prize which was contested over 36 holes by Glen Snook and Neil Bennett.
Snook made a bright start and was five-up after 18 holes and though Bennett rallied and managed to take the contest to the 34th hole, it was Snook who emerged victorious.
It was to be a double for Snook as he also captured the Veteran’s Putter, seeing off Henry Kernighan in the final.
The other men’s singles event, the Seasalter Cup, was another quality matchplay game with Gerald Allan winning and Neil Hazel runner-up.
Mel Bashford and Penny Perkins played in the final of the Seasalter Ladies Trophy which Perkins clinched with a par putt on the 18th green.
And in the junior singles, Callum Buchanan beat Oscar Girling, also on the last hole.
The Klein Cup for husband and wife pairs was a repeat of last year’s final between Sheila and Mick Wyles and Molly and Barry Broadbent.
The Wyles got off to a good start and kept the lead throughout to retain the Cup.
The Stanley Cup for non-husband and wife pairings was won by Louise Tucker and Andy Selwood who beat Linda Bawden and David Kinnersley in the final. Tucker and Selwood lost on the 19th in their last final so were delighted to avenge that defeat.
The Jubilee Rosebowl for ladies pairs was the closest match, pitting Vilma Parrett and Tucker against Helen Foad and Pat Bensted.
Parrett holed a six-foot putt on the 18th to win the hole and tie the match and send the pairs up the 19th where Parrett and Tucker finished the job.