Sweden’s 43-year-old European Tour winner claimed the PGA EuroPro Tour Championship with a play-off win over Essex’s James Allan, at Desert Springs GC, in Spain.

SWEDEN’S former European Tour Mikael Lundberg beat Essex’s James Allen in a play-off to claim the 2019 PGA EuroPro Tour Championships 2019 at Desert Springs.

Lundberg had to survive three holes of sudden-death before he could clinch the season-ending tournament – and the Order of Merit title – thanks to his second EuroPro win of the season.

It has been a long road back for the 46-year-old playing in his first season on the feeder Tour, since losing his playing privileges at the top level back in 2016.

Lundberg, who won three times on the European Tour between 1999 and 2014 said: “This is just amazing. It’s something you dream of.

“It’s not something you can really predict. You are hoping for it and it’s at the back of your mind. But the guys are too good.

“Once you get to this level you realise they’re pretty good.”

“But someone has to win it and when I pulled it off and when I play my game at my best I can still compete against them.”

Allan, from Chelmsford Golf Club, showed resilience throughout after going into the day leading.

Allan, who won the Abu Dhabi Open on the MENA Tour in October, knew he had to birdie 17 and 18 to force a playoff.

But that was exactly what the 25-year-old, who is coached by Robert Rock Academy’s Benn Barham, achieved.

Allan and Lundberg went toe-to-toe twice down the 18^th but could not be separated with the pair making bogeys and then pars.

At the third time of asking Lundberg found the greenside bunker, but played an exquisite shot to within a couple of feet.

Allan missed his par putt opening the door for Lundberg to seal the win and a cheque for £22,540, leaving Allan with the consolation of the £11.270 cheque for second.

It was a stellar week for Lundberg who broke par 18 times over the course of the week and he felt the wind suited his game.

“I have a slightly lower ball flight,” added Lundberg, who won the Russian Open twice in 2005 and 2008, now has a card for the European Challenge Tour in 2020, having won three times at that level as well.

“I’ve always been very good in wind,” revealed Lundberg, who has won €2.8million in prize money in his European Tour career over 20 years, playing in 337 events.

“It’s not about hitting the best shots and not making mistakes where I am better instead of pulling off some fancy shots,” said the Swede.

“I love the wind. I always hope it’s going to be up as much as possible,” added Mikael, who won the EuroPro’s World Snooker Championship tournament at Newbury’s Donnington Grove, back in June.

“Last year I had really big problems with my motivation but this year it came back – and it helps, of course, winning the third event.

“I’ve enjoyed playing golf again and on this tour.”

Lundberg, who is attached to Lumine Golf Club, which will host the final stage of the European Tour Qualifying School next month, will now head to stage two – also being held in Spain – next week, with a chance to regain his full card.

The Swede signed for rounds of 64, 73 and 69 to force a play-off after leading on the opening day thanks to a sparkling eight-under par 64.

On a day where the lead swung, Allan seized an early advantage through nine holes before being pegged back midway through the afternoon after getting in trouble on the 11th.

Meanwhile, Lundberg was level through the front nine before picking up vital birdies on 15 and 16 to drag out a two-shot lead over Allan who was playing in a group back.

Elsewhere, Falkirk GC’s Ryan Campbell had a stellar final day to tie for third after signing for a five-under par 67 after posting rounds of 75 and 66.

Hillside’s Former England U16 international Oliver Clarke finished alongside him as the 2016 Darwin Salver winner posted 72, 65 and 71 for his best finish of the season.

Mearns Castle’s Conor O’Neil was fifth on seven-under with Harrogate’s former European Tour winner John Parry, Kedleston’s former England international Bradley Moore and Kingsbarn Pro Academy’s Daniel were all tied for sixth.

PGA EuroPro Tour Order of Merit graduates (left to right): Mikael Lundberg, Alfie Plant, Marco Penge and Richard Mansell, who all earn cards for the European Challenge Tour

THE four other Challenge Tour cards will go to Staffordshire’s Richard Mansell, Goodwood’s Marco Penge, former European Amateur Champion Alfie Plant and Todd Clements, winner of the English Amateur Championship in 2017.

All four will be joining Lundberg in Spain at the ETQS stage two – should they win a full card on the Challenge Tour at the final stage at Lumine, it will open the door for the players who finished just outside the top five on the EuroPro Order of Merit.

Campbell secured the Cobra Puma Order of Merit in association with Modest Golf! which earns him five Challenge Tour starts next season. 

The post Lundberg claims EuroPro Tour Championship in play- off win at Desert Springs appeared first on Golf North.

Stoke Park’s Conor Gough won the McGregor Tophy at the 2018 English Boys U16 Amateur Open Championship, beating off Rotherham’s Ben Schmidt, who bcame the the first 16 year-old to win the Brabazon Trophy at the English Men’s Amateur Strokeplay, in May.
Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

KNOWN as The McGregor Trophy, the England Golf junior championship returns to its spiritual home at Radcliffe-on-Trent, in Nottinghamshire, next week.

So any spectators who attend over the three days from July 16-18 can expect to see players who will graduate to the European Tour – and most likely prove to be winners in waiting.

The likes of Jim Payne – one of only two players to have successfully defended the McGregor in 37 years – Steve Webster, Graeme Storm, Oliver Fisher and Paul Waring, who won the Nordea Masters in Sweden last summer, adorn the honours board at the club, which created the first national Under 16 event, and was adopted by the English Golf Union in 1993.

Two years later Rose, a member at North Hants, would claim The McGregor at Radcliffe-on-Trent – just days before the future US Open winner would become the only player to land the U16 and U18 titles in the same season by winning The Carris at Burnham & Berrow.

JUSTIN ROSE PLAYING IN THE 1993 McGREGOR TROPHY

As well as attracting the best young players from England many of the Continent’s top teenage talents head for these shores in July to test themselves in The McGregor, including the younger Molinari brother, who won in 1996.

Dutch golf had high hopes for Wouter de Vries when he won the trophy at Rotheram in 2003, while the likes of Middlesborough’s Michael Skelton, Ealing’s Yasin Ali and Combe Wood’s James Heath, all became leading English junior and men’s internationals after claiming the English U16 crown.

In more recent times, Goodwood’s Marco Penge claimed the title at Seacroft in the North East, in 2015, while Denmark’s Rasmus Hjogaard has graduated to the European Challenge Tour – along with his twin brother Nicolai – just three years after Rasmus’ win at Royal Ashdown Forest.

Denmark’s John Axelson won The McGregor in 2014 – one of seven of the 37 champions to come from Continental Europe

Denmark’s John Axelson who won in 2014 – the last time Radcliffe-on-Trent hosted The McGregor – was runner-up in the medal honours after the 36-hole strokeplay qualifier at The Amateur Championship, at Portmarnock, last month.

Last year’s champion – Stoke Park’s Conor Gough, who won at Kedleston Park, in Derbyshire – went on to become the 2018 Boys’ Amateur Champion, while runner-up Ben Schmidt, from Rotherham GC, became the youngest-ever Brabazon Trophy winner in 70 years, in May.

This year’s championship will feature players from 16 countries. Among those aiming to keep the trophy in English hands is Hagley’s Hugh Adams, from Worcestershire, who won the English U14s Reid Trophy last year.

Adams showed his strong nerves then, coming through a four-hole play-off to take the title at Reading GC.

Others likely to be in the mix are Dubai-based Josh Hill, who was in England’s winning team at the 2018 Boys’ Home Internationals and the U16 internationals Josh Berry, from Doncaster GC, Stoke Park’s Tom Gregory, and Welwyn Garden City’s Reis Suart – plus Royal Liverpool’s Matthew Dodd-Berry, who won the Midland U16 Championship earlier this year.

Among the international challengers will be players from the other home countries and many European nations, with Spain and Italy both sending large squads.

The championship returns every five years to Radcliffe-on-Trent, where it began in 1982, and was played for the first 17 years.

The McGregor Trophy is played over 72 holes. The full field plays 18 holes on each of the first two days with the leading 40 and ties qualifying for the final 36 holes on the last day.

The post Countdown to join Rose and Molinari on The McGregor Trophy honours board appeared first on Golf North.