Ben Parker’s bow in South America

Dec 4 2007 by Richard Williamson, Liverpool Daily Post

BEN PARKER has launched his new career as a professional golfer – in Argentina.

And the gamble paid immediate dividends when the Royal Birkdale-attached player was the leading Englishman at the Abierto del Litoral Personal 2007.

The opening event of the 2008 Challenge Tour campaign was held at the Rosario Golf Club in Argentina.

And Parker took the opportunity to take up an entry to the event, which contains a field heavily stacked with home players and few Europeans.

Parker, who is based in Germany where his father Tim is a professional, missed the cut at the final of the European Tour school, which means he is likely to spend more time on the EDT Tour in Germany after turning professional at the end of the summer.

But he has also shown a determination to make the most of his limited opportunities on the Challenge Tour.

In his first tournament appearance as a professional Parker came home in a share for 22nd place on five over par 284, which left him well ahead of US Open Champion Angel Cabrera, supporting the event in his home country, who was 55th on 14 over.

That earned Parker 1,089 euros and has put in 13th place on the season’s first Challenge Tour Order of Merit.

Parker did well to finish in the top 25 after a disastrous start to the event. He bogeyed the first hole and then dropped two more shots at the second. He suffered a second double bogey on the par four 11th, but a couple of birdies helped him eventually sign for a five-over-par 75.

Day two started little better with bogeys at the second and fifth and the former England amateur international was facing a swift exit.

However, a superb back nine of 31, which included birdies at the 12th and a run of three in succession on the closing three holes, delivered a two-under-par 68.

That was good enough to make the cut ahead of a number of more experienced players. A pair of 71s completed the event for the 20-year-old.

He will now stay on in South American to take part in this week’s 102nd Abierto Visa de la Republica presentado por Peugeot at Buenos Aires GC.

Meanwhile, former Cheshire county player David Horsey continues to make a promising start to his professional career.

He followed up his fifth-place finish on his European Tour debut at the MasterCard Masters in Melbourne, Australia, by coming home 30th at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open.

Rounds of 74,70,70,71 gave him a three-under-par total of 385 and 4,937 euros.

He has picked up 39,499 euros in his two starts to lie 34th on the Order of Merit.

This week sees Phillip Archer and Lee Slattery return to European Tour duties in South Africa.

They will be competing in the Alfred Dunhill Championships at Leopard Creek.

Archer, from Warrington, had his best year on the Tour last year, finishing 29th in the rankings, while Formby Hall’s Slattery reclaimed his Tour card by finishing second at the final qualifying school.