Sponsored by
Golf: Dubai showpiece the carrot for TV finalists
HOME GAINS: Denise Smith and Darren Wallis are hoping to reach the matchplay championship finals by finishing in the top four at their home course, Hollins Hall, in Mondays northern final.
FOURTEEN club golfers from across Yorkshire will be looking to book a place in the Sky-televised Dubai finals of the Matchplay Championship this Monday.
The event, which is in its eighth year, began in the autumn and several thousand teams of two have been whittled down over several rounds and the northern regional final will be staged at the Marriott Hollins Hall course in Shipley on April 4.
A southern qualifier will be staged next Wednesday, at the Marriott St Pierre course in Chepstow, with both competitions, and the Dubai finale, to be broadcast by Sky Sports.
The top four pairs in the men’s and mixed events at the two regional showpieces qualify for the 2010/11 championship to be contested at the sumptuous Els Club, in Dubai, from May 7-14.
Moor Allerton’s Mark Rose and Simon Newlove are among the White Rose twosomes due to feature at Hollins Hall, alongwith Graham and Patrick Young from the host venue.
Denise Smith and Darren Wallis, who are competing in the mixed pairs tournament, are also members at the Hollins Hall club.
“Denise and I are both really excited at the opportunity to qualify for the Grand Final in Dubai from our home course at Hollins Hall, which is in great shape at the moment,” Wallis told the YEP.
“For an entry fee of just £25 each, we’ve had great fun competing in the five qualifying rounds, and the chance to compete in Dubai just tops it all off.
“We’ve been practicing really hard and I have to thanks my coach, Lee Scargill (Shay Grange), who has supported our progress the whole way.
“Fingers crossed, we can bring the trophy back to Yorkshire but, regardless of the result, we’ve already submitted our entry for next year’s event which starts in July.”
The other Tyke regional finalists are all in the men’s competition. They are: John Florence and Ron Short (Ganstead Park), Mark Potts and Paul Pettinger (Wath-Upon-Dearne), Mark Taylor and Tom Brearey (Flaxby Park) and Tracy Dad and Dale Brook (West Bradford).
“This is where the championship really starts to heat up and we’re looking forward to a great day of competition at Hollins Hall,” said John Woosey, managing director promoters the JRW Group.
“It’s a great experience for club golfers to play in front of the Sky Sports cameras, and when pairs realise they are within touching distance of winning their seat on the plane to Dubai the pressure often starts to show, and we always have an exciting finish.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.