2020 TOUR HAS FIRST WINNER
Dramatic finale to gender- equal tour sees McCarthy hang on for points title
NICK MCCARTHY of Moortown is the inaugural champion on the 2020protour – but spare a thought for Wath’s Nick Poppleton.
The South Yorkshire professional finished second on the points list behind the European Challenge Tour member, and also missed out by one birdie on a £ 20,000 prize fund.
That was one of many incentives for regulars competing on the maiden season of the gender- equal golf tour, a healthy prize pot offered by McClarrons Sport to any player who managed 100 birdies on tour.
Poppleton’s 99th birdie from 22 events came on the 18th hole of the DD Porter Construction Tour Final at Huddersfield yesterday.
He managed five in a round of 70 that was good enough for a share of 10th place.
McCarthy finished one shot further back in a tie for 14th and outside the money, but having done enough with four wins for 21 tournaments played to stave off Poppleton by 34 order of merit points.
Harrogate’s John Parry was another left to wonder what might have been.
The former winner on the European Tour won three of the last 11 events and knew a win at Huddersfield yesterday would earn him a £ 10,000 jackpot put up by sponsors SwimNation for any golfer who won three of the final 11 events and the tour final.
Parry finished in a tie for second after a round of 67 yesterday, two shots shy of George Bloor of Cavendish, whose 65 was good enough for victory in the tour finale.
Also in that tie for second place was teenage amateur Dylan Shaw- Radford of the host club Huddersfield, underlining the bright future ahead for this hardworking talent.
Another home golfer, Nick Marsh, was one of three others to shoot 67 to solidify third place on the order of merit.
Humzar Rafique won the Walker and Sutcliffe shootout.
Brogan Townend shot a 69 to finish in a tie for eighth as the highest- placed female player.
Townend ( Pleasington Golf
Club) was also the highestplaced female on the points list, finishing in 17th. Offering equal opportunity to women was the major selling point of the tour when professionals Chris Hanson and Adam Walker
devised it last year. The series got underway in March but conversely benefitted from sport going into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020protour was the first circuit to re- emerge in the
north of England, doing so at Cleckheaton on June 8, and male and female pros and amateurs flocked to it.
“We’ve been really pleased with how well the tour has been received,” said Yorkshireman
Hanson. “Going into lockdown after just two events we worried we might struggle, but we’ve had a brilliant summer thanks to our sponsors and many loyal players, and we’re already looking forward to next season.”