Evesham PGA professional Daniel Clee. Image courtesy of Getty Images.
[12 September 2011], Evesham Golf Club's Richard Cross will be aiming to write his own tale of the unexpected as he bids to earn a trip to Turkey in the Lombard Challenge. Cross will team up with PGA professional Daniel Clee for the PGA Pro-Captain Tournament Midland qualifier at Henley Golf & Country Club on September 16. Clee has already booked himself a place in one overseas final this year after qualifying for the PGA National Pro-Am Championship in Las Vegas.
But Cross admits it will be a tall order to ask Clee to make it a double success at the Warwickshire venue. PGA professionals and their club captains from the Midlands are competing to reach the £25,000 Lombard Challenge grand final which will be played over the PGA Sultan Course at Antalya Golf Club from November 25-26.
Other teams taking part include Neale Hyde and Bill Joyner who will be representing the host club Henley; Nick Soto and Keith Heard from Northampton Golf Club; Stephen Russell and John Overton of Bridgnorth Golf Club; Barrie Stevens and Peter Allen from Staffordshire's Beau Desert Golf Club; Dominic Fitzpatrick and Steve Owen from Glen Gorse Golf Club in Leicestershire; and Neville Hallam and Eric Wilkinson from Alfreton Golf Club. Cross says Clee's form so far this season has done the club proud, but he knows there will be a lot of competition at Henley. Cross, who plays off a handicap of 18, said: "What Daniel's done this year was a great achievement.
"But getting to another final is not something that we've even spoken about. I'm really looking forward to playing with Daniel - but I've never played at Henley before and don't know much about it. I don't see that as being too much of a problem though as I prefer the unexpected! I find it concentrates the mind - you can become too familiar with a course you know well. If Daniel goes to the pro-am final and does well then I think it will raise the profile of this club enormously. But as for us getting to Turkey, that's a long way off and I'm not really expecting that. Daniel's had a good year and would probably say he needs to be playing more. But you never know what can happen on the day. If he has another good day though then who knows."
ENDS
Full list of entries and event information for the regional qualifier at Henley can be found at: http://pgagbi.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgagbi11/event/pgagbi1126/index.htm
Visit http://www.pga.info/ProCaptainChallenge.aspx
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 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.
