Pugh looks to relish Major opportunity

A teenage golfing superstar will follow in the footsteps of legends such as Tiger Woods when he tees off in next month’s Open championship at Muirfield.

Rhys Pugh booked his place in the game’s biggest tournament after his stunning come-from-behind win in the European Amateur Championship at Carton House, Ireland last summer.

Just 19 years old, Pugh, from Pontypridd, will tee off alongside former U.S. Open champions Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell this week in the Irish Open.

The golfing prodigy, who attends East Tennessee State University in America, can’t wait to get back on the course he tore apart to win last year’s European Amateur.

“I have a lot of great memories of this great place. I really love the course and it suits my game. I feel comfortable and confident around here and I’m really looking forward to a great week,” he said.

Enoch announces arrival on Challenge Tour with top-10 finish

Rhys Enoch’s first event as a professional on the Challenge Tour was a success. Photo via Rhys Enoch/Facebook.

Rhys Enoch underlined his potential with a tied-8th finish in his debut professional start on the Challenge Tour. A 72-hole total of 284 (-4) in the Gujarat Kensville Challenge in Ahmedabad, India, earned the Welshman a cheque for €4, 700. Fellow countryman Rhys Davies battled to make the cut but could not repair the damage done in a third round 79 (+7), eventually tying for 55th place.

Home favourite Shiv Kapur captured the title, a closing 71 (-1) complementing the heroics of a third round 65 — a course record. Kapur’s total of 274 (-14) secured a two-stroke margin of victory over Scotland’s Andrew McArthur, whose inward half of 33 (-3) on the final day denied Englishman Phillip Archer a share of second by one shot.

Starting play just outside the top-10, Enoch’s final round 71 (-1) could have been better were it not for an unfortunate double bogey six on the 13th. Two under-par until that point it would have been easy for the 24 year-old to abandon his strategy following the crushing blow, but instead he found the inner strength which promotes resiliency: “I didn’t do much wrong for my double on 13 so I really just calmed myself and said let’s make a few more birdies and hope it would be good enough to sneak a top-10.

“It wasn’t easy but I managed to settle myself and carry on with my plan.”

Enoch recovered quickly by picking up a shot at the par-5 next and played the closing four holes in level par to cap off a successful week.

“It’s satisfying to get off to a good start on the Challenge Tour,” he said. “You never really know what it’s like until you get underway.”

Normally, a top-10 finish would mean an automatic invitation to the following week’s tournament, but because the Gujarat Kensville Challenge was a co-sanctioned event with the Professional Golf Tour of India only those in the top-5 received an exemption. Enoch only discovered this after his final round.

Despite this minor setback, the IMG golfer said finishing in the top-10 meant one of his goals for the week was accomplished. He can also take confidence from the fact he performed well despite not feeling he was at the peak of his powers: “My game wasn’t my best but it was solid and my game plan was to take big numbers out of play due to the toughness of the course, which I did well all week, until 13 [in the final round].”

Enoch’s length off the tee was even more of an advantage given the firm nature of the course, which meant irons and 3-woods sufficed on the 7, 224 yard layout. Indicative of the type of player he is, though, Enoch said he was “happiest most with my overall course management, patience and scrambling.”

The man from Truro has a knack of performing well on his debut: in September he won at the first time of asking on the Jamega Tour and clearly displays a liking for the life of a professional, which he feels he is still learning.

One man with experience of the rigours of the tour is Rhys Davies, who lost his card on the main European circuit last season. The other Welshman in the field, he endured a difficult start on his quest to return to Europe’s top-flight, a final round of level par moving him up six places on the leaderboard but still leaving him in a share of 55th place.

It was Ahmedabad Golf and Country Club’s first nine holes that really got the better of Davies. The 2010 Trophee Hassan II winner was over par for three of the four rounds and thus left himself an uphill climb on the inward half.

Birdies on the 11th and 14th in the final round atoned for a front-nine 37 (+1) but a dropped shot at the 16th forced Davies to sign for a 72. His only round under par for the event came in the second 18, where he managed 71 strokes.

Enoch improves as Davies drops back in India

Rhys Enoch recorded his best round of the week so far on the third day of the Challenge Tour’s season opening event, the Gujarat Kensville Challenge in Ahmedabad, India. Enoch’s two under-par round of 70 was in stark contrast to the tribulations of fellow countryman and former European Tour winner Rhys Davies, who stumbled to a 79 (+7).

However, it was local hero Shiv Kapur who jumped to the front of proceedings following a course record 65, the highlight of which was a remarkable birdie on the 14th where he chipped from beside a wall to six inches from the cup. Kapur enjoys a four shot cushion over 36-hole leader Andrew McArthur, whose 71 today marks a third successive round under par and leaves him on -9, one better than Englishman Phillip Archer.

Enoch will start tomorrow’s final round 10 shots behind Kapur but can put in a push for a top-10 or top-5 finish should he manage to break 70 over the 7, 224 yard layout. In a round he described on Twitter as “disappointing,” the Truro man reached three under-par following a birdie on the par-3 11th but dropped a shot four holes from home.

At three under-par after three rounds, Enoch is in a four-way tie for 11th place, 50 spots to the better of Davies.

The 2010 Trophee Hassan II winner rebounded from an opening 75 (+3) with a one under-par 71 yesterday, but found reverse gear on a day he hoped to move forward. Three over-par after 7, a double-bogey on the 600 yard par-5 9th saw him out in 41.

He was unable to repair the damage coming home, managing only to add further bogeys at the 13th and 14th. Requiring 225 strokes for three rounds leaves Davies in tied-61st spot on nine over-par.

Enoch and Davies progress at Challenge Tour opener

Young Welshmen Rhys Enoch and Rhys Davies safely negotiated the halfway cut in the first tournament of the 2013 Challenge Tour season, the Gujarat Kensville Challenge in Ahmedabad, India. Enoch recorded a level par round of 72, while 2011 Trophee Hassan II winner Davies atoned for his opening 75 with a 1 under-par 71.

Starting on the 10th, Enoch quickly picked up birdies at the 12th and 14th holes but failed to capitalise on his good start when he handed them back at the 15th and 18th holes. The East Tennessee State graduate has bogeyed the 18th both times this week.

In a somewhat turbulent patch of his round Enoch clawed back one of the dropped shots with a birdie three at the par-4 1st but rescinded it at the next. He played his remaining six holes in a score of par to sign for a 72.

On a day when no competitors went especially low — Daniel Im’s 68 (-4) took low honours — Enoch’s score meant he ascended three places up the leaderboard to share 17th at the close of play. At one under-par for the event he is alongside 2010 U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein and former European Tour players Jose-Felipe Lima and Steven O’Hara. They all lie seven shots adrift of 36-hole leader Andrew McArthur, of Scotland, who sits alone in top spot with a two round total of 136 (-8) after today’s 69.



Things were much better for Rhys Davies, although they did not seem that way initially after he bogeyed the 10th, his first hole of the day. Still, in contrast to yesterday’s five-bogey round, the European Tour winner picked up three further birdies to only one bogey en route to a satisfying 71, which improved his position by 31 places after round one.

Davies lies in a tie of 41st spot on two over-par with among others 2002 PGA champion Rich Beem, and Raymond Russell, of Scotland.

Enoch and Davies get Challenge Tour season underway in India

Rhys Enoch made a promising start to the 2013 Challenge Tour season with a one under-par 71 in the opening round of the Gujarat Kensville Challenge at Kensville Golf and Country Club in Ahmedabad, India. Enoch fared better than his more experienced compatriot Rhys Davies, whose 75 (+3) leaves him nine strokes behind early pacesetter Agustin Domingo, of Spain.

In good scoring conditions, Enoch parred his first five holes before adding birdies at the par-5 6th and par-4 10th. Two under-par after 13 holes he nestled into the tournament top-10 but played his final five holes in one over-par, thanks in part to a dropped shot on the 531 yard par-5 14th.

Enoch’s finish to the round could be seen as disappointing — the top-10 on the leaderboard at the end of play negotiated the back nine in a cumulative five shots fewer than the front — but he is handily placed in a share of 20th. First out off the 10th tee tomorrow, he has the chance to prosper on freshly-cut greens.

Rhys Davies’ push for promotion back on to the European Tour got off to a stuttering start. Beginning on the 1st he quickly notched up three bogeys in four holes. He atoned the damage slightly with birdies on 14 and 17 but could not eradicate his mistakes completely, signing for a 75 and ending the day tied-74th.

Scotland’s Andrew McArthur and Indian professional Shiv Kapur held the lead for much of the day after matching five under-par rounds of 67, but they were pipped late on by Domingo, whose new course record 66 gave him a one stroke advantage.

Enoch excels at Alps Tour Q School

Winter is most certainly the season of the qualifying school, and after disappointment at the European Tour Q School in Spain, Rhys Enoch bounced back with aplomb at the recent qualifying tournament for the Alps Tour, the 24 year-old finishing tied-2nd with a three round score of 204 (-12).

After opening with a one under-par 71, it was a second round 64 (-8) over the America course at La Cala Resort in Malaga, Spain, that boosted Enoch to the top of the leaderboard.

A blistering front nine 30 (-7) which included five birdies on the bounce from holes five to nine set him up perfectly for the inward half, although bogeys were to follow birdies on the 13th and 15th.

However, he was to find one more red figure at the last, signing for a 64 and joint low honours on the day with Spain’s Carlos Pigem and a share of the lead entering the final round.

With the top 38 players gaining full playing rights on the 2013 Alps Tour, Enoch’s job ahead of the last round was simple: avoid disaster.

Danger loomed when he found himself three over after seven but an eagle at the par-5 9th put him straight and set the stage for a four under-par back nine, ensuring a closing 69 (-3).

His 204 total left him in a share of second with England’s Alexander Christie, who fired three consecutive rounds of 68. Both were one shot shy of winner Carlos Pigem, the Spanish amateur who caught fire after an opening 72 (E) with rounds of 64 and 67 to finish on -13.

Enoch indicated that the Alps Tour circuit is likely to play a back-up for when he can not play the Challenge Tour, on which he is assured a number of starts next season.

GUW Chief Executive Dixon praises ‘dramatic wins’

Golf Union of Wales Chief Executive Richard Dixon announced recently that 2012 has been a successful year for Welsh golf, with a number of standout performances from male and female golfers.

‘It has to be a good year when a country of Wales’ diminutive stature achieves four such dramatic wins as those of [Jamie] Donaldson, [Lydia] Hall, [Rhys] Pugh and [Amy] Boulden,’ said Dixon.

Jamie Donaldson captured his maiden European Tour title at the Irish Open in July and had a tied-7th finish in the season’s final major, the U.S. PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Four other top-10s meant the 32 year-old reached his highest ever position in the Race to Dubai, ultimately coming 19th in the season-long points race and amassing over €1.1 million.

Given his win and stature in the game, Dixon believes that Donaldson ‘now has the opportunity to lead the way over the next few years.’

Lydia Hall was victorious in the ISPS Handa Ladies British Masters after rounds of 66, 71, and 72 ensured a one stroke margin of victory of Beth Allen of the United States. The event, played at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club, attracted one of the stronger fields of the year and marked a significant first win for the Bridgend local.

East Tennessee State University golfer Rhys Pugh claimed the biggest prize of his career in the European Amateur Championship in August, a final round 66 in blustery conditions good enough to see-off fellow countryman James Frazer by one shot. The win guarantees his spot in next year’s Open Championship.

Pugh’s excellent performance in the Walker Cup twelve months prior was mirrored in the female equivalent by Amy Boulden. Her singles victory over Emily Tubert on the final day of the Curtis Cup helped ensure that for the first time in sixteen years the trophy was the property of Great Britain and Ireland.

Proving herself as a links specialist — she plays her golf at Conwy — Boulden was also triumphant in the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Amateur Strokeplay in April, played over the fabled turf of Troon.

Dixon hopes that this group of emerging young talent will go on to ‘challenge for major honours,’ and added that he believes ‘players such as Rhys Davies, Bradley Dredge and Becky Brewerton are far too good not to return to winning ways, which will boost the game in Wales enormously.’

New generation of Welsh golfers aim to turn the tide

To many, Welsh golf peaked in April 1991 when a short, stocky man from Oswestry, more often called ‘Woosie’ than ‘Ian,’ donned the famous green jacket reserved only for winners of the Masters. The farmer’s son, all 5’ 4½” of him, had reached the pinnacle of world golf, emerging from the ‘big five’ as an individual in his own right.

That appears a fair assessment. Ian Woosnam is still the greatest golfer the country has ever produced. Others such as Bradley Dredge and Stephen Dodd carried the mantle but both now find themselves without full playing privileges on the European Tour next season. Only Phil Price and Jamie Donaldson will bear the Welsh flag next to their names in the biggest tournaments of 2013.

To the casual observer this validates the claim that Welsh golf is in merciless decline. But below the rigours of the elite professional game, the country’s golfers are enjoying a resurgence.

At the head of this group of ambitious youngsters is Rhys Pugh. The nineteen year-old captured the biggest win of his trophy-laden career in August when he triumphed in the European Amateur Championship in Ireland. The win put the exclamation point on a brilliant twelve month period for the boy from Pontypridd, who the previous September went unbeaten in the Walker Cup.

In capturing the European Championship — arguably the biggest tournament in amateur golf — Pugh not only put his name next to Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia as previous winners, but also assured his place in next year’s Open Championship, something Pugh declared has ‘always been my dream.’

Showing signs of maturity, Pugh opted not to rush into the professional ranks, where often the brightest flames are extinguished once the game becomes ‘work.’ Instead, he accepted a golf scholarship at East Tennessee State University in 2011, where he is currently a sophomore and benefitting from a program that in the past aided the development of European Tour winner Rhys Davies, as well as Pugh’s contemporary, Rhys Enoch.

Enoch has made the transition from amateur to professional appear seamless. Following a standout career as a junior golfer and all-American, he turned professional in June this year and promptly won his first start on the Jamega Tour. This was followed soon after with a runner-up finish in the San Roque event on the Gecko Tour and the 36-hole lead in the Beko Classic — a tournament not shy of quality with Darren Clarke and Andrew Coltart in the field. The 24 year-old from Truro eventually finished fourth but his talent is not in doubt: a fact made obvious by his inclusion in the International Sports Management stable, run by Chubby Chandler, who professed to being ‘very impressed by his talent.’

But, given the hope and expectation vested in him, does Enoch feel pressure to carry through the next wave of Welsh golfers? Quite the opposite. He explains he is ‘proud and excited to be in that position. I feel no pressure from a Welsh representative front, it [the expectation] is just another benefit of playing well.’

Enoch has found the professional game to his liking. Photo via facebook.com/rhys.enoch

It is clear he thrives on the opportunity in front of him: ‘I want to be the next big thing from Welsh golf and I feel I have a game more to suited to the professional game, so I am excited to get going in my career.’

For all the starry-eyed optimism that accompanies many young professionals, it is reassuring to hear Enoch stay grounded. He admits that the change from playing as an amateur to trying to make a living as a professional is a ‘big step,’ but that it is vital to ‘remember that we are still playing the same game and that I must continue to do the things that got me to this point.

‘Playing for money brings a slightly different feeling to things because it highlights mistakes faster and hastens learning.’ That Enoch has ‘loved the challenge’ bodes well for his future and indicates that, as he says, the changes ingrained by coach Neil Matthews will only serve to enhance his talent.

Also turning pro this year was James Frazer. It was Frazer who looked the most likely of the four Welshman to win the European Amateur Championship when his third round 62 — a course record at Carton House — propelled him to within touching distance of the 54-hole lead. However it was not to be for the Pennard local, who was beaten into second by Pugh. Still, the resultant Welsh one-two provided cause for celebration on this side of the Severn Bridge, with Golf Union of Wales Director of Performance Ben Waterhouse calling it ‘one of the best ever results for Welsh amateur golf.’

Aside from the obvious delight at such a finish, what really offers encouragement is the fact it was no anomaly. Frazer finished in a share of fourth place in the South of England Championship in July and concluded a successful amateur career by being the top British player in the Eisenhower Trophy.

The 25 year-old has settled as a professional, but along with leading Welsh players Dredge and Davies, failed to gain full playing privileges for the 2013 European Tour. Frazer did not advance out of the second stage of qualifying school, missing the cut-off mark by two shots, but he remains optimistic for what the future holds.

‘It was disappointing not to get through to final stage,’ he said.

‘Especially after playing so well in the months leading up to it. I played very well that week but struggled with the putter. Missing it [the cut for advancing to final stage] by a couple shots was tough to take.

‘I will hopefully get playing rights on the Euro Pro Tour which won’t start until April. I may be out in Turkey or Morocco in February playing on the European Professional Development Tour. I will also be playing a couple of Jamega Tour events too. Hopefully I can get around five invites for the Challenge Tour which will make my schedule look interesting. So yes, looking forward to getting going again.’

Frazer is one of a crop of promising Welsh golfers. Photo courtesy of James Frazer.

In the same way Enoch embraces but plays down the expectations placed on him, so Frazer understands that his amateur pedigree does not entitle him to overnight success in the big leagues: ‘As I said before I’m now starting my golf career again almost and I’m very much looking forward to the challenge. There are people that expect certain things of you but I don’t see that as pressure, more of a confidence booster. They only expect it because they know the level I’m capable of.’

Hoping to follow Frazer and Enoch into the professional game is David Boote. One of the generation of youngsters who crossed the Atlantic in search of a better golf game — and a college degree on the way — Boote has just finished his first semester at Stanford University – Tiger Woods’ alma mater.

The first European student in over ten years to be awarded a scholarship, Boote has more than justified his case for selection. With the second-best scoring average on the team and three top-10 finishes in four events, Boote recently found himself in prime position to be selected for the prestigious Palmer Cup event, held next June. Should he continue to impress and make the team then he can count himself as one of the top-eight European players in the American collegiate system; a significant achievement for a first-year.

This should come as no surprise. In 2011 Boote won the Faldo Series Championship and captained Great Britain and Ireland boys in the Jacques Leglise Trophy, helping his team to victory over Europe. Such confidence gained from junior success no doubt eased the transition into collegiate play, and he was rewarded with an ‘honourable mention’ in Golf Digest’s recent mid-season awards for top freshman.

The chances are that the light to guide Welsh golf out of the wilderness will come from one of these players. But behind them lie another group determined to prove their worth. For example, Henry James reached the final of the British Boys Championship in August. And success is not limited to males: Amy Boulden added the Scottish Ladies Championship to her curriculum vitae in April, was part of the victorious Curtis Cup team, and stands a chance of gaining her Ladies European Tour card this month.

The cynical will point out these are merely hopefuls, not yet assured of a place in the game’s upper echelons, and products of a governing body that lacks the proven track record of, say, the England Golf Union. To them it must be reiterated that there are no shortcuts in golf. It is all too easy to compare the successes of promising youngsters with the likes of superstars, such as the untouchable Rory McIlroy, the precocious Matteo Manessero, and come away feeling short-changed, let-down. The achievements of McIlroy and Manassero deserve isolation for they are the talents of a generation. It would be unfair to expect the same rapid ascension from others. Instead, we should encourage them to be the best they can be, because, ultimately, the biggest challenge in golf is against one’s self.

Welsh golf may be on the wane but there is a group with the desire, and just maybe the talent, to put it somewhere near the position it was in 1991, when Ian Woosnam ruled the world.

Bond, Davies, and Dredge miss cut, Dodd with work left to do

Three of the four Welsh golfers at the final stage of European Tour Q School failed to make the 72-hole qualifying cut. Cardiff’s Stephen Dodd was the sole survivor, his four round total of 283 (-1) enough to progress by three shots over the Tour and Stadium course at PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona, Spain.

In a strange twist of fortune, it was actually Dodd who opened up with the worst round of any of the Welsh contingent. A five over-par 77 on the Stadium track made his task that much harder, but level par round the Tour and a third round 68 (-4) — again on the Stadium — ensured that today’s matching 68 (-2) on the Tour left him in a seven-way tie of 39th with two rounds left to go. Dodd will need to make the top-25 at the conclusion of play on Thursday to gain his card.

For most of this afternoon it looked certain that 2010 Trophee Hassan II winner Rhys Davies would be joining him. Rounds of 68, 74, 68 had the East Tennessee State graduate on two under, but whereas his 74 (+2) on the Stadium had been salvaged with two birdies, his final round 78 (+6) saw no respite from the dropped shots.

A costly double bogey-bogey run on holes four and five saw him slip to two-over and right on the cut mark. The par-5 seventh was Davies’ last real chance to salvage something but he could muster only a six. Closing pars confined him to his fate.

Davies’ total of 288 (+4) was the same as Bradley Dredge’s. Dredge fluctuated the least of those Welshmen who missed the cut. In fact, it was exactly the lack of one anomalous low round that did his chances harm: a closing 71 (+1) on the Tour meant the two-time European Tour winner failed to break par in any of his four rounds.

Liam Bond headed to Spain having won his first and second stages of qualifying school but was unable to reproduce that form in the crucial third stage. A first round 76 (+6) featured five bogeys and one double, and although the following 69 (-3) on the Stadium course meant all hope was not lost, closing rounds of 74, 71 — which left him on 290 (+6) — meant the dream remained just that.

At the head of affairs after 72 holes is England’s Andy Sullivan and Argentina’s Estanislao Goya. The Argentine set a blistering 54-hole pace after rounds of 64, 71, 64, but was brought back to reality somewhat today following his 73 (+1) on the Stadium.

Sullivan is yet to be denied a round under par, today’s 69 (-3) enabling him to catch Goya at twelve under, two ahead of five players at -11, which include German amateur Moritz Lampert and Englishmen John Parry and Richard McEvoy.

Welsh golfers prove hard to match in Turkey

Simon Edwards claimed the Beko Classic on Saturday night, his ten under-par total being good enough to see off fellow countryman Garry Houston by one shot.

Edwards lingered near the top of proceedings all week, a second round 72 (E) on the Queen course at Cornelia Golf Club in Antalya complementing his opening 66 (-6) on the King.

Starting the final round one behind leader Rhys Enoch, Edwards skipped to the turn in two under courtesy of birdies at five and seven. Clearly drawing on the positive memories of his earlier round on the King course, Edwards answered his bogey on the par-4 10th with three consecutive birdies before playing the remaining holes in level for 68 (-4) and a three round total of 206 (-10).

The champion did face a threat from Garry Houston, whose final round 67 (-5) — which included an eagle on the 276 metre par-4 7th — boosted him up the leaderboard. But it was to be one shot too many for the veteran, with bogeys on the 10th and 14th proving costly.

Overnight leader Rhys Enoch was unable to build on his second round 66, a closing 73 (+1) leaving him on 210 (-6) for the event, two more than third place Jamie Little, who broke par all three rounds.

Former Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart had the round of the day with a 65 (-7) which jumped him into the top-10 on 212 (-4). That was one better than last year’s Open champion Darren Clarke, who finally broke 70 for the week in the final round: a 69 (-3) putting him in a share of twelfth spot.

There were also encouraging signs for Liam Bond, who continued his stellar play of late with rounds of 69, 73, 69 (211) to give him a top-5 finish alongside Mark Murphy, Phil Golding, and Michael Stewart.

Unfortunately, Sion Bebb found himself at the other end of the leaderboard, finishing up on +7 for the event and in a tie for 27th.