[13 July 2011] Downes Crediton captain Tony Cockayne hopes his run of success with PGA professional Barry Austin is about to earn them a trip to Turkey.
The pair will be taking part in the West Region qualifier of the Lombard Challenge, a PGA Pro-Captain tournament, at Exeter's Woodbury Park on Monday July 25.
A host of PGA professionals and their club captains from the south west of England will be hoping to reach the £25,000 Lombard Challenge final which will be played on the PGA Sultan course at Antalya Golf Club from November 25-26.
Downes Crediton PGA Professional Barry Austin.
Image courtesy of Getty Images.
Cockayne admits that playing alongside a player with Austin's experience - he was joint 15th at this year's PGA Professional Championship - is a bonus. And while he insists the competition on the day will be a stern test, Cockayne believes he and Austin have shown they are tough to beat.
He said: "When I took over as captain this was certainly one of the events I looked out for at the start of the year. I'm very much looking forward to playing with Barry at this event. We've been taking part in some pro-captain challenge events recently and we seem to be the pairing to beat. We produced rounds of 65, 65 and 62 in three events, so we're working well together and I just hope that sort of form carries on into the qualifier at Woodbury Park."
"We all know what a great prize is on offer for the winners and while we can't afford to think about that at the moment, I did talk to a former captain here who came close to reaching the final in a previous event and he said it would be fantastic if we could go on and get first spot this time. But we know the most important thing is to make sure we do well on the day before we start thinking about any finals."
Cockayne added: "It's good to be playing alongside Barry, who will be one of the better known players on the day. We're all very proud of his achievements as Downes Crediton's professional and he's a real asset to this club. On top of that he's a good teacher and a nice bloke as well."
Other teams taking part include Bigbury's Tracy Loveys and captain John Elliott, North Wilts', Graham Laing and Nick Chapman, former PGA National Pro-Am winner Martyn Thompson (Parkstone) and Nick Fiddian plus Royal Porthcawl's Peter Evans and Arwel Morgan.
This will be the 14th staging of the tournament. Last year it was won by Newport-based Parc Golf Academy pro Richard Dinsdale and captain Steve Hook.
ENDS
Full list of entries and event information for the regional qualifier at Woodbury Park.
More information on The Lombard Challenge, a PGA Pro-Captain Tournament.
For further information 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 from The Lombard Challenge and all PGA tournaments
