Langdon takes route 66 to victory at Minchinhampton

ROSS Langdon (Brickhampton Court) won the first Gloucester and Somerset PGA medal of the new year with a round of five-under-par 66 at Minchinhampton Old Course.

This brought a two-stroke advantage over his great rival, the Total Triumph Order of Merit leader Giuseppe Licata (Chipping Sodbury).

On a cold, sunny and relatively calm day, Langdon made six birdies, four on the way home on the 10th, 12th, 13th and 17th. Licata made five birdies but an untidy finish was costly. A double bogey at the short 16th was followed by a bogey at the last.

Ed Goodwin (Cirencester) finished third on 70. Andrew March (Brean) was fourth, his fine round marred by three bogeys on the final four holes.

Paul Gravell from The Players Club is this year’s captain of the Gloucester and Somerset PGA. He takes over from Mendip Spring’s Scott Thompson

Gravell, a long-standing committee member, hails from South Gloucestershire having taken up the game at Filton in the late 70s and joined the PGA as a trainee there in 1996.

He has since represented various other clubs ahead of his current role at The Players Club, near Bristol, where he looks after the coaching and club-fitting side of the pro shop. He has always enjoyed coaching, especially developing junior golfers, several who have gone on to represent Gloucestershire.

Gravell’s vice captain is Worlebury’s Roy Baker, who started his golf at Burnham & Berrow. Since then he has completed a degree at Hartpury College before heading down the PGA route.