County PGA plans to put its pros among the prizes again
SOME GOOD NEWS AT LAST AS DATE IS ANNOUNCED FOR MATCH-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
THE Leicestershire and Rutland PGA has something to celebrate after a full 12 months of lockdown playing restrictions for its member professionals.
During this period championships and competitions of all kinds have been cancelled and, for many weeks in succession, clubs themselves have been closed. The whole sport came to a virtual standstill.
But now, the county PGA has been able to announce good news, which will see opportunities for members to compete, with prize money at stake once again.
Bob Larratt (Kibworth), the senior professional who is now secretary of the county PGA, has said Market Harborough-based international clothing company Joules will be sponsoring the match-play championship this year.
It will be played at Market Harborough GC over two days in June and Larratt is hoping for strong support.
He said: “We are all absolutely delighted to get this backing from Joules. It is a bright spot of news in what has been such a dreadful time for everyone, including people involved in so many other sports, many different businesses and leisure activities, too.
“We will have a pro/am on the first day of the championship – June 16. From this the eight leading pro medal scorers will qualify for the knockout rounds on the following day.
“There will be two lots of ninehole matches in the morning, followed by the top two going into the 18-holes match-play final in the afternoon.
“The winner will receive the top prize of £500. We had booked the course last year, but now we really do need the backing of local amateurs and the county professionals to help make the 18-hole pro/am a big success.”
The championship was last played in 2019, when Ian Gregory (Charnwood Golf Centre) took the crown.
“There was good support then and we look forward to similar success on this occasion,” said Larratt.
“We are thrilled to have this tournament back on to our calendar at such an early stage of the year and hope to make it a memorable date for us all.
“We are hoping to be in a position to announce more county PGA-run tournaments, including our strokeplay championship, in the next few weeks.
“There has been so much disappointment at the lack of opportunities to compete and meet fellow golfers over the past year, I am sure everyone will be delighted and hopefully highly enthusiastic about these events.”
The county PGA not only had to cancel its stroke and match-play championships in 2020 but also its highly popular annual pro/am tournament in Portugal, for which entries had been taken.
Larratt is happy to hear from any amateurs who would like more information on the county PGA, including the championships and pro/ams.
■ Rothley Park GC will be the venue for a Midlands PGA pro/am on June 18, backed by main sponsor Jelsons.
Danny Spillane, the club’s PGA manager, said: “We have spaces for amateurs wishing to compete in this pro/am and should be delighted to hear from individuals, or teams of golfers, wishing to be involved.”