Victorious for Devon PGA vs Cornwall PGA

Report taken from the North Devon Journal

FOR the ninth year running, Devon triumphed in their Ryder Cup-style clash with Cornwall — with the help of a singles win from Holsworthy rookie Dan Wood.

Strong winds lashed the Royal North Devon course and had it been a normal competition, play would probably have been called off.

Cornwall had assembled their strongest line-up for some years in a bid to end Devon's winning streak.

And their hopes would have been raised by the hosts missing some of their more experienced professionals.

In the end, the Devon team captained by RND's Iain Parker and featuring debutant Wood triumphed 9-6.

The five foursome matches in the morning were played in the worst of the weather.

Nick Cook (Elfordleigh) and Peter Mitchell (Thurlstone) were Devon's only winners.

Parker and Ashley Moon (Okehampton) looked in control but some unforced errors in the closing holes meant they were happy to hang on for one of Devon's two halves.

Cornwall captain Richard O'Hanlon and Mark Rowe edged out rookie Wood and James Langmead (Stover) to give their side a 3-2 lead going into the afternoon's singles. Parker lost three and two to Nick Rodgers, leaving the match well balanced — but Devon's rookies and less heralded players made all the difference.

Cook beat Malcolm Edmunds two and one; Peter Mitchell had four birdies in a row to beat Nick Williams three and two; Wood won two and one against Rowe with some steady golf; and in the final match Langmead enjoyed a three and two victory over O'Hanlon.

The final singles score of 7-3 to Devon made the final result look far more comfortable than it was.

Winner of the 2008 West Region Fourball Championship at Launceston Golf Club with partner Mark Taylor

Score: -11- 62 67      129

Report taken from the Devon PGA Website

Breakthrough Win for Dan Wood and Mark Taylor

Dan Wood, Assistant Professional at Royal North Devon Golf Club and Mark Taylor Exeter achieved their first big win last week at Launceston Golf Club when they won the annual White Hart Fourball Championship. The championship which attracts over one hundred of the leading West Region Professionals is viewed as a major event on the golfing calendar.

In the better ball pairs competition they scored a magnificent total of 11 under par helped by an 8 under par 62 on the first day and a battling 67 in the second round in tough conditions with wind and rain for most of the day which meant they just managed to hold off seasoned professionals Martyn Thompson (Parkstone) and Michael Watson (Weymouth). Also chasing the pair was three time European Tour winner Andrew Sherbourne.

Dan and Mark played solidly both days striking the ball superbly from tee to green and putting well.They both have been working on their games exceptionally hard this season, often starting practice sessions as early as six am and continuing long into the evenings. Dan has been working with Head Professional at RND Iain Parker on his technique and now all this hard work is finally starting to pay off, and Mark has been helped enormously by joining Gary Milne at Exeter.

Dan started the opening day with a birdie on the par five first hole then incredibly he holed a 150 yard seven iron for a spectacular eagle two at the par four second before making two more birdies at the third and sixth. This blistering start would have been worthy of Tiger Woods and set the pair off on their victorious march. On the back nine on day one Mark Taylor also started to hit top form and the pair added further birdies on holes 11, 13 and 18. Their opening 62 placed them two shots clear of their nearest challengers. Everybody in the field expected them to drop away as the pressure of leading would surely get to the inexperienced pair but nothing could be further from the truth.

Although nervous playing in the final group they managed to get off to a solid start with Wood snatching birdies on holes 2, 6 and 9 to be out in 3 under par. As the conditions got tougher and the pressure mounted they knew that the chasing pack was hot on their heels but they kept their nerve and after a dropped shot on the tough par three 17th they knew they needed a birdie on the par five 18th to snatch the title.

Two powerful drives opened the possibility of a birdie. Wood pulled his second shot pin high left of the green and failed to get up and down but Taylor who had found the green with a powerful 4 iron was left with a twenty foot putt for eagle. He showed his first signs of nerves all day and left his approach putt five feet short of the hole. But with the 18th green surrounded by spectators, members and fellow professionals he bravely holed out to secure a groundbreaking victory for the pair.

Hopefully this victory will give the pair the confidence to move up to the next level in their professional careers and they were congratulated by all of their vastly more experienced fellow competitors. Wood said "This is a huge achievement and a real honour to win such a prestigious event with so many experienced professionals in the field."