Marriott St Pierre club captain Alan Beach (left) and PGA professional Craig Dun (right).
Picture courtesy of Getty Images. More images from the event are available at
www.gettyimages.com
[18 August 2011] Amateur Alan Beach made sure it was home sweet home as he clinched a place in the final of the prestigious Lombard Challenge in Turkey.
The captain at Marriott St Pierre Hotel and Country Club teamed up with PGA professional Craig Dun to top the qualifiers in the PGA Pro-Captain tournament at their home course in Chepstow, beating last year's champion Richard Dinsdale (Parc Golf Academy) - and his captain Mark Channing - into second place.
Dun and Beach fired a five-under-par round of 67 to edge out the Parc duo by two shots with Cameron Clark and Tony Taylor (Moor Hall Golf Club) tying for second spot.
For Dun, who was sidelined for most of the year after injuring his hand in a cycle crash, it will be his second appearance in the final having three years ago finished second at The Royal Golf Course in Bahrain.
Dun and his partner will contest the £25,000 Lombard Challenge 36-hole grand final which will be played over the PGA Sultan Course at Antalya Golf Club from November 25-26.
Beach said: "We're both delighted with this; I know Craig didn't think five under par would be enough to
win, but I was hoping we'd be okay.
"I think home advantage doesn't count so much for the professionals, but it certainly makes a difference to
the amateurs.
"I've been playing this course for 30 years and there aren't many secrets here I don't know about.
"We played with Richard Dinsdale who was tremendous company and after winning last year he just told us to
bring the title back to Wales again, so no pressure there then!"
Dun added: "Alan's a good captain and very good to be with so we'll both be looking forward to the final.
"He was very optimistic that we would win and he was right.
"But I felt that if we could beat Richard Dinsdale then we'd stand a chance. And that's how it turned out.
"I've just recovered from a hand injury when I fell off my bike, so this was maybe only the third time I've
played the course this year. But that was a good thing as it felt fresh again.
"I was supposed to be flying out to New Zealand to see family on the week of the final. But I've arranged it
so I spend some time in Turkey then fly out from there which isn't bad at all."
ENDS
The Lombard Challenge, a PGA Pro-Captain Tournament Wales Regional Qualifier at Marriott St Pierre Golf Club, Wednesday 17 August 2011
| Pos. | Score | Pro | Captain | Represents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | 67 (-5) | Craig Dun | Alan Beach | Marriott St Pierre |
| 2= | 69 (-3) | Cameron Clark | Tony Taylor | Moor Hall |
| Richard Dinsdale | Mark Channing | Parc GA |
Full results from the event at Marriott St Pierre can be found at: http://pgagbi.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgagbi11/event/pgagbi11446/index.htm
Visit http://www.pga.info/ProCaptainChallenge.aspx for more information on The Lombard Challenge For further information or alternative images please contact Nathaniel Sylvester at PGA Headquarters on 01675 470 333 or e-mail media@pga.org.uk. Visit www.PGA.info for up to date reports and scores throughout the season from The Lombard Challenge and all PGA tournaments
Notes to Editors
Lombard is part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. As one of the largest asset financiers in the UK and voted Best Leasing & Asset Finance Provider by Business Moneyfacts in 2009, 2010 and 2011, Lombard provides various forms of asset finance to businesses of varying sizes - from SMEs to large corporates. Products include Hire Purchase, Finance Lease, Operating Lease, Sale and Leaseback, Contract Hire, to Contract Purchase, as well as multi-specialist asset finance products such as marine, aviation and specific wholesale and stocking funding for distributors and dealerships.
Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2011, Lombard is headquartered in Redhill, Surrey, with an extensive network of business centres situated throughout the UK, and is an appointed representative of The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
