Cort wins play-off to lift PGA Professional Championship
COMPLETES RARE DOUBLE TO QUALIFY FOR GB & IRELAND PGA CUP TEAM
MATTHEW Cort (Beedles Lake) won one of his biggest ever tournaments and grabbed a spot in the 2022 PGA Cup team for the third time in his career, writes Jennifer Prentice.
Cort won the PGA Professional Championship in a dramatic playoff at the first extra hole on the long Hunting course at Slaley Hall, Northumberland, which provided plenty of challenges for the 144-strong field.
The Leicestershire player finished on a six-under-par 282 aggregate after his 72-68-73-69 cards tied with Dan Whitby-Smith (Drayton Park).
They played the tough par four 18th again in the play-off – a hole which had posed problems throughout the tournament.
Cort clinched the title with a bogey, when Whitby-Smith raced his first putt past and dropped two shots.
Cort had opened with level par, then had his low return of the event with four-under-68 to improve his position.
He hit one-over 73 in the third round and fired three-under-69 in the final round.
Now he returns to Foxhills GC in the autumn when the Great Britain and Ireland club professionals play their Ryder Cup-style PGA Cup clash against the USA.
It will be the 30th meeting between the sides and GB & Ireland will be aiming to regain the Llandudno International Trophy.
Cort made his debut in this match over the same course, the Longcross at Foxhills, in 2017, when they won 16-10, but the Americans regained the cup three years ago at Barton Creek Resort in Austin, Texas.
Cort produced a very strong performance there especially on the first two days – at the end of which GB & I led 10-6 going into the final day’s singles.
But in the end it went the USA’s way. They fought back and won overall 14-12 so they will be going all out to retain the trophy this time.
Cort, who completed the rare double of winning the PGA Assistants’ Championship and PGA Professional Championship, said: “I am really delighted to win this national title.
“Slaley Hall’s Hunting course is difficult, undulating, and highly challenging, long too, with plenty of tests along the way. The finishing holes are difficult.
“It was hot weather mainly too, so it was quite tiring with so much at stake.
“But it changed for the last day when it was cooler and windy. I kept in contention throughout the four days, gradually improving my position, but the competition was intense, especially with the PGA Cup team places at stake for the top few finishers.
“Pars were very important on some of the difficult holes too, so you just had to focus and keep grinding it out.
“But I thoroughly enjoyed my previous two appearances in this match play event, so now I am looking forward to competing for GB and I again, back at Foxhills from where I have so many happy memories in the first Cup clash I played.
“But that is several months away, so I have to keep competing and playing in all the other tournaments until then, with my target to be as well prepared and as sharp as possible for the big match.
“There is a lot to look forward to. It should be an exciting few months.”