Williams is busy man as he looks towards Trophy
WELSH Amateur champion Thomas Williams is preparing for the biggest tournament in his career so far, with the Eisenhower Trophy less than a week away.
Williams, Jake Hapgood (Southerndown) and Ben Chamberlain (Padeswood & Buckley) are all representing Wales in next week’s World Amateur Team Championship at Ireland’s Carton House.
With Williams looking to turn professional at the end of next year, he will be relishing the prospect of facing some of the world’s best amateur talent.
And with the form he is in Wales have good a good chance of making an impact on the international stage.
The International Golf Federation tournament follows the same rules as this week’s Espirito Santo Trophy - where Jordan Ryan (Newport), Bethan Morris (Tenby) and Kath O’Connor (West Byfleet) are representing Wales - with four rounds of stroke play. Each team has two or three players with the lowest two scores in each round making up the team’s overall total.
Teams from 72 countries will stay in Maynooth during the World Amateur Team Championships with 71 teams registered to compete for the Eisenhower Trophy.
Notable players who have played in this tournament before include Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas.
Australia are the defending champions after a mammoth 19-stroke victory at Riviera Maya, Mexico, two years ago.
Elsewhere, Toby Hunt saw off the challenge of Garry Houston to claim victory at the Welsh National PGA Championship at Ashburnham.
Hunt attached to St Mellons , looked set for victory 12 months ago at Celtic Manor, but a late comeback from Sion Bebb ensured he missed out but that wasn’t to be the case this time.
Hunt held the lead after the first round with an opening score of 65, seven-under par.
Rhys Enoch, of Celtic Manor, was his main competitor at that point with 66 while Houston carded 69.
However, in the second round Houston managed to eat away at Hunt’s lead until he was just two strokes behind.
And when Hunt double-bogeyed the 16th, Houston was ready to take advantage and moved level.
However, Hunt re-established his lead on the next hole after a bogey from Houston and a par on the final hole was enough to hand him the title, and £1,500 prize money.
Houston finished in a two-way tie for second after Enoch’s birdie on the final hole, which saw both men pocket £1,087.50.
Craig Melding (Neath), who has dominated the South Wales PGA Order of Merit in recent years, finished tied for fourth, alongside Adam Constable (Cardiff ) and Andrew Pestell (Chelmsford) on 142.
Martin Stimson, of hosts Ashburnham, took the senior title with 143.
Elsewhere, Kasumi Tran (Tenby) is the new Welsh U14 champion after a play-off victory over Zak Baker (Llandrindod Wells) at Porthmadog.
For the first time girls and boys were competing against each other in the same competition and after Tran and Baker both finished on 78, the duo faced off in a winner-takesall play-off, which Tran managed to edge.
Harriet Lockley (Isle of Wedmore) and Jac J Roscoe (Royal Town of Caernarfon) shared third place on 79.
Thunder and lightning had forced play to be stopped at one point and although the competition got back underway, the U16 competition had to be limited to just 18 holes, rather than 36.
That saw Tomi Bowen (Welshpool) and Matthew Sandoz (Wrexham) go up against each other in a play-off for the title after both carded 74.
Bowen held his nerve to claim the victory.
Austin Gambrel (Cuddington) shot 75 to claim third place while Dylan Thomas (Pontardawe) and Tom Peet (Pyle & Kenfig) made up the top five.
The weather continued to cause havoc with the Welsh Team Handicap Championship Final postponed due to a flooded course at Celtic Manor.
Tran’s week was made even better as she was named in the Wales squad for September’s U14 girls match against Scotland at Ratho Park.
Tran will be joined by Gwent duo Gracie Mayo (Bryn Meadows) and Megan Vineall (Newport).
In the U16 fixture, Mid Wales Girls’ Open champion Darcey Harry (Vale Resort) will lead Wales with Alice Thomas (Radyr) and Lockley also involved.
Before those games, Wales will go up against Surrey on Sunday in a U15 clash.