[23 May 2011] Marathon man Richard Herring, of Essex's Orsett Golf Club, is aiming to be in the running for a prestigious final when he tees up in the regional qualifier for The Lombard Challenge at Bush Hill Park Golf Club in London on May 31.
The head PGA professional teams up in the pro-captain event with club captain Steve McInally for a tilt at reaching the grand final which will be held at Antalya Golf Club over the PGA Sultan course from November 25-26. PGA professionals and their club captains from the East of England will be competing for a share of the £25,000 prize fund which has been boosted by the return of Lombard - the heavyweight financial institution, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. And success for Herring would round off a remarkable year for the 38-year-old who has pushed himself to the limit in aid of charity.
Last year, Herring played eight rounds of golf at Orsett in seven hours 58 minutes and raised around £4,000 for his chosen Alzheimer's charity and his then captain Steve Biggin's charity, Macmillan Cancer Research. He followed that marathon effort with another in April when he ran the London Marathon in three hours 49 minutes, and expects to raise more than £2,000 as a result. Now Herring is planning to do a triathlon event next year.
He said: "I like to do these silly things, it raises money for good causes and I enjoy it at the same time. I have something planned for next year but it won't be golf related after playing the eight rounds last year. I actually played well on that day and finished 21 under par. I didn't use buggies or anything, but I had around half a dozen helpers including last year's captain.
"Then my wife entered me for the London Marathon without tell me - she didn't get in, but I did. Now I feel like a 38-year-old in the body of an 86-year-old! So I'll wait until next year before trying anything else."
On the golfing front Herring hopes he can produce another memorable display at Bush Hill Park but knows it will be tough.
"We'll be going there to try and give a tidy performance, but it's difficult as only one team gets through to the final."
Among those challenging will be players from Bishop's Stortford Golf Club, Norfolk Golf & Country Club, Essex's North Weald Golf Club, Waldringfield Golf Club in Suffolk and Wyke Green Golf Club in Middlesex.
This will be the 14th staging of the pro-captain tournament. Last year it was won by Newport-based Parc Golf Academy pro Richard Dinsdale and captain Steve Hook. Dinsdale, by coincidence, was the last winner of The Lombard Trophy.
