Hexham-based PGA Professional Phil Waugh romped to a convincing 14-point victory in the TGI Golf Partnership Team Challenge, one of the largest pro-amateur events in the Europe.
Waugh, and his amateur team of Roger Jones, Steve Cram and Simon Martin finished top of a 53-team leaderboard at the Sir Nick Faldo-designed Cornelia Golf Club, with a cumulative total of 257 Stableford points over 54-holes.
Outstanding rounds of 83, 88 and 86 points saw Waugh – assistant to TGI Golf Partner Andy Paisley – and his team claim the trophy, with Pitreavie PGA Pro Andy Brookes and his amateurs Kyle Milne, Mark Hunter and Bryan Hunter finishing second with 243 points.
The 212 golfers contended with a mixture of conditions during the TaylorMade-adidas Golf and Ashworth-sponsored event, with rain falling on the first day. However, the sun soon shone and the 27-hole Cornelia venue remained in perfect condition.
“I’ve played in a number of professional/amateur events across Europe, but the TGI Team Challenge is without doubt the best I’ve played,” said Phil Waugh.
“From the outstanding organisation from the TGI team and the course to the five star accommodation everything has been amazing for all of us.
“Coming into a 53 team event you just want to play well and enjoy your golf, so to finish above 52 other teams is beyond expectations – especially after our practice round when we struggled, I thought we were in for a tough week, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
Team Waugh will be back again next year to defend their title after it was announced that TGI Golf and the five-star Cornelia Diamond resort had reached an agreement to stage the event for the next two years.
“We’ve already told Phil that we’re coming back out with him next year, whether he likes it or not” said Roger Jones. “This was my first professional/amateur event, and I’m not just saying this because we won, but it has been a great experience.”
Event sponsors TaylorMade-adidas Golf and Ashworth provided outfits for all 53 teams as well as a wide array of outstanding prizes for the top four teams, as well as novelty prizes and a special prize for amateur Craig Dalziel who claimed his first hole-in-one in 36 years of playing golf.
Eddie Reid, TGI Golf Partnership Managing Director, said: “Staging an event of this magnitude is testament to the high regard in which Partners and their customers hold TGI Golf and could not be possible without the dedication and commitment from our staff and event partners TaylorMade-adidas Golf, GolfKings, Cornelia Diamond and Matrix.
“This week has seen some outstanding golf, especially from Phil and his team, who only received 16 shots between them which makes their score even more astonishing. Congratulations to Phil, Roger, Steve and Simon.”
TGI Golf Partnership www.tgigolf.com