PGA Euro Pro Tour

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I don't know but he did perform well in the events I followed from here.
Hasn’t he already qualified for the Challenge tour, because he came top 5 (1st in fact) on the tour?
 

Tongo

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Hasn’t he already qualified for the Challenge tour, because he came top 5 (1st in fact) on the tour?

The Tour Championship starts tomorrow. So i'm guessing its the top 5 after that finishes. 100k prize money on offer so there could be some significant changes.
 
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Wow, that is a surprise!

Bradley Moore is tied 14th at -2.
 

Hobbit

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Great day there today. 9am 22* and no breeze but by 3pm it was 27* and very breezy. Ideal scoring conditions early on and a number to the early starters were taking advantage of it.

The course itself has taken some stick this year, with rumours that it was getting a bit raggy and untidy in places. The greens were fantastic. They took a well struck, high ball really well but something coming in low would run through. The surface was excellent - no jumping and bouncing when putting. Speed was well up there, and quicker than most of us will experience on a weekly basis. Bunkering and rough was as expected, maybe the rough a little longer than last year but that would be splitting hairs. One or two players seemed to struggle with the typical wirey Bermuda around the greens.

Dare we talk about the fairways? A significant number of threadbare patches on just about all the fairways, some having several patches. Unfortunately this has also led to the encroachment of rabbits, with a number of these areas showing burrowing. Common sense has seen them adopt placing but that doesn't do you much good if your ball is coming down in one of those areas but takes a wicked bounce - saw a few take unfair bounces.

How good are these guys? The golf from just about everyone was excellent, maybe a few getting going only to throw in a couple of bogeys followed by birdies. There's a score to be had around there but it needs to be kept on the straight and narrow. Virtually no holes where you could just blast. Yes you could take a driver quite often but you ran the risk of being on the wrong side of the fairway for a decent shot in. A number of the morning players, those from the lower echelons of the OOM, posted decent scores, which quite a few of the afternoon players struggled to get near because the wind did start to blow. I left when Lundberg only had a few holes to go. He was sitting on -5 and the wind was really getting up. For him to go on and post -8 is phenomenal.

Ferguson looked very solid, and the whispers on the clubhouse veranda was he's well in form and will be up there in round 3.

They play a very different game than the majority of us but, on occasion, they can really screw up too. On one hole I watched a guy miss the green by 3 yards, falling into a lateral water hazard. His ball came to rest in 6 inches of grass in a very wet lie, and probably only 10 paces from the pin at most. Off came the shoe as he looked to knock the ball on for 3 and maybe make par but no worse than bogey. He dropped a good, swinging putt for an 8.

Tomorrow is another day, and we'll be there early. Not sure on the wind but they're predicting an even warmer day.
 

fundy

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Great day there today. 9am 22* and no breeze but by 3pm it was 27* and very breezy. Ideal scoring conditions early on and a number to the early starters were taking advantage of it.

The course itself has taken some stick this year, with rumours that it was getting a bit raggy and untidy in places. The greens were fantastic. They took a well struck, high ball really well but something coming in low would run through. The surface was excellent - no jumping and bouncing when putting. Speed was well up there, and quicker than most of us will experience on a weekly basis. Bunkering and rough was as expected, maybe the rough a little longer than last year but that would be splitting hairs. One or two players seemed to struggle with the typical wirey Bermuda around the greens.

Dare we talk about the fairways? A significant number of threadbare patches on just about all the fairways, some having several patches. Unfortunately this has also led to the encroachment of rabbits, with a number of these areas showing burrowing. Common sense has seen them adopt placing but that doesn't do you much good if your ball is coming down in one of those areas but takes a wicked bounce - saw a few take unfair bounces.

How good are these guys? The golf from just about everyone was excellent, maybe a few getting going only to throw in a couple of bogeys followed by birdies. There's a score to be had around there but it needs to be kept on the straight and narrow. Virtually no holes where you could just blast. Yes you could take a driver quite often but you ran the risk of being on the wrong side of the fairway for a decent shot in. A number of the morning players, those from the lower echelons of the OOM, posted decent scores, which quite a few of the afternoon players struggled to get near because the wind did start to blow. I left when Lundberg only had a few holes to go. He was sitting on -5 and the wind was really getting up. For him to go on and post -8 is phenomenal.

Ferguson looked very solid, and the whispers on the clubhouse veranda was he's well in form and will be up there in round 3.

They play a very different game than the majority of us but, on occasion, they can really screw up too. On one hole I watched a guy miss the green by 3 yards, falling into a lateral water hazard. His ball came to rest in 6 inches of grass in a very wet lie, and probably only 10 paces from the pin at most. Off came the shoe as he looked to knock the ball on for 3 and maybe make par but no worse than bogey. He dropped a good, swinging putt for an 8.

Tomorrow is another day, and we'll be there early. Not sure on the wind but they're predicting an even warmer day.


Great write up thanks Hobbit, good to know what theyre facing. Sounds like the course sets up really well for Lundberg
 

IanM

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Good write up indeed!! Sad to hear it was in tip top condition, always used to be.... Funny place up there, I remember my last visiting staying on site. Needed a ski jacket walking down the road to dinner, then played in shorts the following day! :)

(how is Val Del Este these days? That's a fun place to play!)
 

Hobbit

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Good write up indeed!! Sad to hear it was in tip top condition, always used to be.... Funny place up there, I remember my last visiting staying on site. Needed a ski jacket walking down the road to dinner, then played in shorts the following day! :)

(how is Val Del Este these days? That's a fun place to play!)

VDE is in decent nick. Greens suffered a little due to aggressive hollow tining in Aug but its back to its best. Locally, probably the best course at present. Although if you're willing to travel a little, 30 mins, Aguillon near San Juan De Los Terreros is stunning - and at €35 inc buggy, wow.
 

richbeech

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We've had the Euro Pro at my home course Wychwood Park 3 times. I've always taken 3 days off work to watch it. On a couple of occasions our club champion has been playing in it - entry into the comp was his prize for winning the club champs. I think every course gets 3 or 4 places which they can allocate to club golfers or local amateurs.

Our club champion is a +1 golfer and he was made to look distinctly average when he played. There's some really really good players on the EuroPro and it really is eye opening to think that this is the 3rd tier of professional golf. It makes you think how good are these top European and PGA Tour players!

The players that I've watched have been really nice fellas too, they had no problem with you walking around with them and chatting to them.
 

moogie

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Great day there today. 9am 22* and no breeze but by 3pm it was 27* and very breezy. Ideal scoring conditions early on and a number to the early starters were taking advantage of it.

The course itself has taken some stick this year, with rumours that it was getting a bit raggy and untidy in places. The greens were fantastic. They took a well struck, high ball really well but something coming in low would run through. The surface was excellent - no jumping and bouncing when putting. Speed was well up there, and quicker than most of us will experience on a weekly basis. Bunkering and rough was as expected, maybe the rough a little longer than last year but that would be splitting hairs. One or two players seemed to struggle with the typical wirey Bermuda around the greens.

Dare we talk about the fairways? A significant number of threadbare patches on just about all the fairways, some having several patches. Unfortunately this has also led to the encroachment of rabbits, with a number of these areas showing burrowing. Common sense has seen them adopt placing but that doesn't do you much good if your ball is coming down in one of those areas but takes a wicked bounce - saw a few take unfair bounces.

How good are these guys? The golf from just about everyone was excellent, maybe a few getting going only to throw in a couple of bogeys followed by birdies. There's a score to be had around there but it needs to be kept on the straight and narrow. Virtually no holes where you could just blast. Yes you could take a driver quite often but you ran the risk of being on the wrong side of the fairway for a decent shot in. A number of the morning players, those from the lower echelons of the OOM, posted decent scores, which quite a few of the afternoon players struggled to get near because the wind did start to blow. I left when Lundberg only had a few holes to go. He was sitting on -5 and the wind was really getting up. For him to go on and post -8 is phenomenal.

Ferguson looked very solid, and the whispers on the clubhouse veranda was he's well in form and will be up there in round 3.

They play a very different game than the majority of us but, on occasion, they can really screw up too. On one hole I watched a guy miss the green by 3 yards, falling into a lateral water hazard. His ball came to rest in 6 inches of grass in a very wet lie, and probably only 10 paces from the pin at most. Off came the shoe as he looked to knock the ball on for 3 and maybe make par but no worse than bogey. He dropped a good, swinging putt for an 8.

Tomorrow is another day, and we'll be there early. Not sure on the wind but they're predicting an even warmer day.


Ey up Bri.

You get to watch any of the rounds of young Mr Wilson from Darlington??

Good player this lad
Seen him play a bit a few years ago when he used to play team league golf at close house in the Newcastle league....
 

Tongo

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Looks far more open now, Lundberg got it to -11 early on and looked like spreadeagling the field but he fell away quite badly to -7. -9 leads and 9 players within 3 shots

Not a particularly good day for those in the top 5 in the OOM either. You'd imagine that Mansell and Penge have earned enough cash to be safe but with Lundberg, Wilson, Moore and Young, as well as Alfie Plant, all in the top 20 you never know.
 

Hobbit

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Looks far more open now, Lundberg got it to -11 early on and looked like spreadeagling the field but he fell away quite badly to -7. -9 leads and 9 players within 3 shots

A few players had meltdowns today, and for no apparent reason. This morning saw players teeing off in a gentle breeze, and only 20*. The temp did rise, and rise, and rise, peaking at 30* by mid afternoon. But the usual mid afternoon breeze coming in off the sea didn't materialise. A gentle breeze, occasionally switching direction, was all they had all day.

The course was a mirror of yesterday in terms of playing condition, although I thought it putted a little slower - but that is as an outside observer. I saw a number of downhill putts that just didn't seem to get there.

The 3 ball we chose to follow today was Will Whiteoak, Dan Brown, Nick Watson. Will started with 2 birdies, and on the 3rd, a par 5, he was putting for a 3rd birdie from not too far away... a 7... a 4 putt. He missed an easy birdie putt on the 4th, probably still a little rattled by the 4 putt. But on the 7th, a par 4, the wheels fell off, the gearbox dropped through the floor and he posted a 10. He birdied the 9th, a really tight par 5 with a very shallow, sloping green to go to the turn 7 over.

Would he find anyway back from that on the back 9? Unfortunately he started the back 9 bogey, double bogey, bogey and that was his race for the day run. An 85 to go with the 72 from the previous day.

Dan Brown had a steady front 9, going to the turn 3 under, including a bogey in there. The back was also steady golf, picking up another birdie and standing in the middle of the 16th fairway at 4 under. The 16th is a short, dogleg right par 4. For the big guys, probably a 4-5 iron off the tee, followed by a 7-8 iron in. The green from the bend in the dogleg doesn't lend itself well to the eye. Heavily bunkered, slightly triangular shape sloping back to front. And with the pin front left, in the narrowest part of the green, and that gentle breeze just a little swirly it looked easy but, equally, it was a sucker pin if not hit well. Will and Dan Brown both found the left bunker and Nick finished just off the back left corner. Dan dropped a shot on 16. Maybe it was in his head for the relatively short, straight par 4 17th. The tee shot was tugged left into an unplayable lie. Eventually, after taking a penalty drop and trying to hook it around the trees between him and the green he found the green side bunker. There was no way to get it close, and a double bogey ensued. A birdie chance on the last from about 15 feet went begging but at least it was an under par round. A 71 to go with the 72 from the previous day.

Nick Watson, the 3rd player in the group, got off to the start none of us like. The opening tee shot on the par 5 1st going OOB. Nick made a very good 4 with the 2nd ball, and promptly birdied the 2nd to go back to level par. This set the tone for the front 9 for Nick. 3 birdies but 3 bogeys. The back 9 wasn't too pretty, or too awful, to watch but probably very frustrating to play. Not capitalising on some very good shots, and then throwing in a bit of bad luck/bounce or a careless shot. His first real bit of good luck came on the short 17th. His tee shot, with an iron, was leaking a little to the right and looking like it was going to finish dead and buried. Cue a large rock and a fabulous bounce right back onto the fairway. Now 140 yards out to a lovely pin a 3rd of the way up the green. Surely a good wedge would follow? No, it was hooked into a green side bunker and, like Dan's, there was no green to play with. A bogey, and 4 over for the back 9 with one to play. Another leaky iron off the tee, almost a trademark shot for Nick all the way round - right off the tee then having to recover. It found the semi-rough at about 165 yards and a bunch of very large cacti in the way. Fired in to 10 feet and, at last, a birdie on the back 9. A 75 to compliment the 72 from the previous day.

And a very large glass of cider for the Hobbit.

Tomorrow will see the Hobbit having a late breakfast before going out to watch the last few groups.
 

Jacko_G

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We've had the Euro Pro at my home course Wychwood Park 3 times. I've always taken 3 days off work to watch it. On a couple of occasions our club champion has been playing in it - entry into the comp was his prize for winning the club champs. I think every course gets 3 or 4 places which they can allocate to club golfers or local amateurs.

Our club champion is a +1 golfer and he was made to look distinctly average when he played. There's some really really good players on the EuroPro and it really is eye opening to think that this is the 3rd tier of professional golf. It makes you think how good are these top European and PGA Tour players!

The players that I've watched have been really nice fellas too, they had no problem with you walking around with them and chatting to them.

My mate is a scratch golfer and his game is night and day ahead of me. On paper it's only 5 shots but in reality it's insurmountable for me to get close. Even on a great day and an average day for him (he doesn't do worse than "average" I won't get close to him.

These guys games are incredible.
 
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