Wallis misses out on third win ambition

Richard Wallis scored a second successive level par 71 to finish tied for 10th place in the 54 holes end of season PGA Play-offs in Turkey on Friday.

Wallis, Canterbury GC’S senior teaching professional, had needed to shoot a score in the low 60s to have any chance of catching the leaders and keep alive his dream of becoming the first player to win the event three times, having triumphed in 2011 and 2012.

But he ended up eight shots behind winner Michael Bullen (Rustington GC), who had rounds of 67,68, 67 to win by one from Colm Moriarty (Glasson H&GC).

Wallis opened with a superb three under par 68 in last Wednesday’s opening round, hitting every green in regulation to tie for third place in a club professionals’ elite field of 24 qualifiers.

He was challenging strongly when he moved to six under after 12 on Thursday, with birdies at the par five 3rd and 7th holes and the par four 12th, on the 6,968 yard Sultan Course at Antalya GC.

But he ran up a double bogey at the par four 13th and dropped further shots at the 15th and 16th before a closing birdie left him five shots behind the leaders going into Friday’s final round.

On Friday he moved to four under par with a third birdie of the round, mixed with two bogeys, at the par four 10th. But further bogeys at the 13th and 14th before a closing birdie at the par four 15th cost him three more places in the final standings. Wallis said: “I played great for 27 holes, missed only one fairway and hit the first 30 greens. But then I started missing fairways and greens and couldn’t get up and down when I needed to.

‘’It was disappointing to finish 10th but hardly horrendous and while it was also disappointing not to get the hat-trick there will be other chances. You can’t win them all.’’

Richard Wallis