Lloyd Kennedy has won the Ivobank PGA EuroPro Tour Selsdon Park Masters in Croydon by four shots with a fantastic score of 198 – 12 under par.
Kennedy (Chelmsford GC) went into the final round in a commanding position after rounds of 63 and 64 on Wednesday and Thursday put him four shots clear at 13 under par.
But the 23 year-old bogeyed the first hole to get off to a shaky start and had cut his four shot lead to just one after further bogeys at seven and ten.
“I started horrendously today,” said Kennedy. “Four shots is a big lead but on this course you can’t take anything for granted.
“I didn’t really do a lot wrong but I found myself ten under all of a sudden! I got a bad lie on the tenth and that’s a tough hole anyway, usually a par five but we were playing it as a four.
"When I birdied 11 and 12 I knew I was back on track though and just had to make sure I didn’t do anything silly as I knew there were a few players like Colin Roope who had made a move.”
Kennedy picked up his 15th birdie of the tournament on the 15th to seal the victory and the £10,000 first prize, holding off the challenges of Roope, Dale Marmion (Eaton) and Martin Le Mesurier (Vear Group) – the trio finishing tied in second spot at eight under (202).
Le Mesurier started at six under and was one of the few players who broke 70 on a tough day thanks to some tricky weather, his two under 68 ensuring him a share of second spot, working out at £3,066.66. Marmion and Roope pick up the same cheque, the former shooting 71 playing with the winner, the latter going round level with a bogey at the last costing him sole possession of second spot.
Matthew Ford (Marriot Tudor Park) finished in fifth spot at five under (205) with George Woolgar (Capitalservices.com), Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre), Jamie Moul (Stoke by Nayland) and Steven Capper (Caldy GC) sharing sixth spot at six under (207).
Kennedy’s victory moves him up to second in the Order of Merit behind Irishman Noel Fox (MMI) and ahead of Alan Murray (Greystones GC). Kennedy will be playing the rest of this year’s tournaments on the Ivobank PGA EuroPro Tour, which moves to Northamptonshire’s Whittlebury Park next week.
RESULT
1 Lloyd Kennedy - 198 (-12) - 63, 64, 71 £10,000
=2 Colin Roope - 202 (-8) 65, 67, 70 £3,066.66
=2 Dale Marmion - 202 (-8) 64, 67, 71 £3,066.66
=2 Martin Le Mesurier 202 (-8), 65, 69, 68 £3,066.66
5 Matthew Ford 205 (-5) 69, 66, 70 £1,400
Day Two report
LLOYD Kennedy stamped his authority on the Selsdon Park Masters in Croydon following his first round 63 with a 64 to move to 13 under.
Kennedy (Chelmsford GC) holds a four shot lead over Dale Marmion (Eaton) as he continues to dominate the PGA Ivobank EuroPro Tour event. He got into his stride straight away with birdies on the second, third, fifth and ninth holes to move to 11 under through 27 holes.
It was not long before he was making an impression down the home stretch, birdying 11 and 15 before dropping his first shot of the tournament at 16.
That did not knock his confidence though and he polished off another fine round with his second birdie in two days on the last to move into a commanding position.
Marmion is Kennedy’s closest rival at nine under par, pairing his opening round 64 with a 67 today, level through the front nine cancelling out two birdies with two bogeys, but picking up three shots down the back with four birdies and a bogey.
Colin Roope (wstore.co.uk) trails Marmion by one stroke following a 67 in his second round, recovering from a bogey at the first with four unanswered birdies. His cushion in third spot is two shots from Martin Le Mesurier who went round in 69 today, with a double bogey at the first getting him off to a poor start.
Steven Capper’s fantastic round of 63 turned his tournament on its head before Friday’s finale. Capper (Caldy GC) was one over from the first round, hindered by a seven on the par three 13th. But he made up for that with eight birdies in his second round with just one bogey and moves to six under.
A 66 from Matthew Ford (Marriott Tudor Park) moves him to five under after an opening round 69 – five birdies and one bogey putting him in good shape. Robert Steele (Kenilworth Golf Club) birdied three of the last four holes to post another round of 68 and move one stroke behind Ford.
15 year-old Woburn amateur Harry Whittle and 18 year-old student Indra Dohan, studying a golf scholarship at the Newport School of Golf – part of the University of Wales – both posted a respectable eight over par for the tournament.
LLOYD KENNEDY leads the Selsdon Park Masters tournament on the Ivobank PGA EuroPro Tour after a fantastic opening round of 63 at the Croydon course.
Kennedy (Chelmsford GC, pictured) did not drop a shot on the par 70 course, picking up his first shots with an eagle at the fifth and going into the back nine at four under.
Back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13 saw him move to six under and he finished his round off nicely with his fifth birdie of the day at the last.
Dale Marmion (Eaton) looks keen to add to his victory at The Players Club in Bristol with a win in Croydon and he is one shot behind Kennedy after a 64 in the opening round – three birdies on front and back without a dropped shot.
Colin Roope (wstore.co.uk) was playing with Marmion and he shot 65 for the round, finding the back nine to his liking with four birdies there. He is joined by Martin Le Mesurier (Vear Group) who went into the back nine at one under and also managed four birdies down the back to card 65.
A blemish free round of 66 from Jamie Moul (Stoke by Nayland) included three birdies down the front nine with another at the 12th and he sits alone at four under.
Ryan Thomas’ round was identical to Moul’s to the 12th but the Aberdare Golf Club man bogeyed 13 and 17 either side of a birdie at 15 to shoot 67.
Joining him at three under is Padraig Dooley (Cork GC) thanks to a trio of birdies down the back nine after cancelling out birdies on one and two with bogeys at three and ten. Mark Laskey is also at three under, recovering well from a bogey at the first with two birdies on the front and two on the home stretch.
