PGA professional John Dwyer (left) and club captain Martin Farrell (right). Image courtesy of Getty Images.
[15 November 2011], Ireland's John Dwyer is targeting a unique double as he embarks on a bid to win two national PGA titles this winter.
The Ashbourne PGA professional heads to Turkey next week where he will team up with club captain Martin Farrell for the final of The Lombard Challenge at Antalya Golf Course from November 25-26. The pair will face nine other clubs from across the UK in the £25,000 event being staged over 36-holes at the PGA Sultan Course. Dwyer will follow that up with a third appearance in the PGA National Pro-Am Championship in Las Vegas in December.
While enjoying great success on the fairways including winning the 2007 PGA Professional Championship and earning three PGA Cup caps for Great Britain and Ireland, Dwyer is a happiest in the environment of the County Meath club he has been head pro at since 1999.
"I enjoy the mix of giving lessons, custom fitting and playing regularly," said the 37-year-old who didn't play his first proper round of golf until 15 although he was a pitch and putt champion thanks to his parents owning such a golf facility in Ashbourne.
Having come second in a previous national final in 2008, Dwyer's immediate target is to go one better by lifting a title.
"Making the final of both events has raised their profile within the club, all of a sudden people know more about them and it's a great boost and incentive to do well," said Dywer. "These trips are fantastic, the venues are always brilliant and it's well organised so it's great to be able to go with a club member and share that with them."
Dwyer is familiar with the much-lauded PGA Sultan Course having played two of his previous national pro-am finals.
"It's a fantastic course with holes 16 and 18 giving it a particularly strong finish. Sixteen is a classic risk/reward par five where you can reach in two but it is intimidating because it is guarded by water while the 18th is a good hole depending on whether you are defending a lead or playing catch up."
For Lombard, the PGA Pro-Captain event has been a welcome return to golf as managing director Alexander Baldock explained.
"Having previously enjoyed a very successful relationship with the PGA in sponsoring the PGA National Pro-Am we were confident that partnering with the PGA to present The Lombard Challenge, a PGA Pro-Captain Tournament, would be an exciting initiative to be part of and one that we are very proud of too - and it has proved just that!
"We have seen a great deal of golfing entertainment over the qualifiers and now we look forward to heading off to the finals in Antalya to watch the pros and captains from around the UK battle it out to become this year's champions."
The Lombard Challenge, a PGA Pro-Captain Tournament
2011 Finalists:
| Club | Professional | Captain |
|---|---|---|
| Northampton | Nick Soto | Keith Heard |
| Westerham | James Marshall | Glenn McMahon |
| Malden | Rob Hunter | Terrence Higgins |
| Dukinfield | David Green | Steve Warburton |
| Marriott St Pierre | Craig Dun | Alan Beach |
| Ashbourne | John Dwyer | Martin Farrell |
| Downes Crediton | Barry Austin | Tony Cockayne |
| Shirland | Ian Walley | Paul Robinson |
| Strathaven | Stuart Kerr | Jim Preston |
| Mundesley | Ryan Pudney | David Crosby |
ENDS
For further information please contact Nathaniel Sylvester at PGA Headquarters on 01675 470 333 or e-mail media@pga.org.uk
Visit http://www.pga.info/ProCaptainChallenge.aspx
Visit www.PGA.info for up to date reports and scores throughout the season from The Lombard Challenge and all PGA tournaments
Note 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.
