Fineturf Sponsors Midland PGA Tournament at Belton Woods Grantham

Walley’s high-five in Midland Pro’s Championship

Shirland pro soars like an eagle after play-off victory

Ian Walley will quite probably remember the par five 18th hole at De Vere Belton Woods for the remainder of his days. He had to play it eight times on his way to winning the Fineturf Midland Professionals Championship.

First he eagled it. Then he twice made par on the same hole – the latter to earn himself a place in a play-off for the title. And then he revisited it five times, on four occasions making birdie and the last – and the most important – another eagle.

His final putt on the 486-yard finishing hole was all of eight yards and it cemented his victory over Simon Lilly who had been equally stubborn in not wanting to relinquish the title.

Five times they trudged back to the 18th tee and there was nothing to separate the duelling pair until the final blow was struck. It needed an eagle to clinch it.

For Walley, the teaching pro at Shirland Golf Club, it was just desserts. He had played superbly over two days to finish 15-under-par and was understandably delighted to have won his first Midland PGA Order of Merit event.

For Lilly, it was a cruel blow. It was the Kettering pro’s third second place in Order of Merit tournaments this season and, while he now sits in second place in the table behind Moor Hall’s Cameron Clark, he will rue his missed opportunity.

His card will show no bogies over 54 holes and it took a brilliant eagle to push him into second place at Belton Woods. Southwell’s Paul Streeter, who briefly topped the leader board at one stage in the final round yesterday, finished third.

But it was Walley’s day. He had led after every round and was delighted to reap the rewards for his determination throughout the week. He admitted playing alongside Lilly and Streeter proved inspiring.

“It is always nice to play against guys who have had so much experience,” said Walley after collecting his trophy and a cheque for £1,500. The win elevates him to ninth in the Order of Merit but his thoughts were focused on enjoying the moment.

“This is a good achievement because a lot of these guys play full time whereas I am your average club professional now. My priorities have changed and Shirland is something I have to work at.

It nearly all went wrong with his approach shot on the last hole plopping into the pond that guards the front of the green. His recovery after taking a penalty drop was spectacular.

“My second shot into 18 was my one bad shot of the day. I did exactly the same in the second round… hit it into the water and managed to get up and down. I was confident of where I was dropping the ball. I am normally pretty good from 80 yards and I managed to get that distance and got it up and down again.

“In the play-off I hit one left, one right, one left and I thought at some stage I have got to hit the fairway and it makes a big difference because if you hit the fairway it goes a long way. I had 178 yards to the flag for my second shot.

“I knew Simon was a good player and he wasn’t going to make a mistake and, if he did, he would get it up and down. But I fancied mine because it was relatively close and I had had enough putting practice on that green.

“The course was relatively benign. Normally it is very windy and a hard and bouncy course but this year with the weather we have had it was quite soft and a little bit more like target golf.”

Lilly, who had not put a foot wrong throughout the three rounds, acknowledged that it took a moment of magic to snatch the victory.

“It’s a shame really but I couldn’t do much else. I made five birdies in five play-off holes and he made an eagle on the last. That’s the way it goes.”

Lilly’s drive on the deciding hole landed close to a tree and, with a restricted swing, he could not get his second closer than about 20 feet.

“Ian was in the middle of the fairway so I had to take it on and just clipped the tree with my follow-through.”

Lilly is still in the running for the Order of Merit in second place on the Midland list but felt he needed to have won to be in with a chance.

“Three second places now so I probably need to win at Cold Ashby next week. This week was the best I have played for 12 months and I really enjoyed it.”

Hinckley’s Jason Powell, lying third in the rankings behind Clark and Lilly, finished tied for third alongside Ian Burnett (Luffenham Heath) and Adam J Mason (Sandwell Pines) who enjoyed his highest finish ever in an Order of Merit tournament.