Mersey pairs aiming to enjoy title feast in Turkey

Dec 11 2007 by Harold Brough, Liverpool Daily Post

HESKETH professional Scott Astin is hoping it will be third-time lucky as he sets off for Turkey this week in his bid to win the PGA national pro-am, Europe’s biggest pro-am tournament.

Astin reached the final, this time at Turkey’s Antalya Golf Club and the adjacent Sirene Beach and Hotel Resort, as winner of the regional final with his partner, Andrew Bate, a Southport freelance photographer and Hesketh member.

For the last two years Astin has reached the final after winning the regional event held at his home club.

This year his regional final was switched across the Ribble to St Annes Old Links. Perhaps the organisers should not have been too surprised to find he won for the third time. It is round the corner from his former home and he holds the course record there with 63!

The Astin-Bate partnership returned a nine-under par total.

They will be among 16 pairs from Great British and Ireland playing for the coveted trophy and, of course, the prize money. The tournament, now being staged for the 23rd year, has a prize fund of £30,000 and is held on December 14 and 15.

Scott finished 12th in 2006 and seventh in 2005, both times at Portugal’s Vale do Lobo.

“This will be the third time I have been to the final so I know what it all entails and what kind of score will win it,” he says.

“The first year I went out there with my playing partner we played quite well but just could not hole enough putts.

“Last year just did not go right on the course so it would be nice to think this month it will be third time lucky, especially as it is at a different venue.”

“Andrew, who plays off five, and I have played a couple of times since qualifying and there is not much I can really teach him. He is a good player who swings the club really well.

“We get on great off the course as well and I think that will be a key factor if we are to win. Until now I have not really given the tournament much thought as I’ve been busy teaching, playing and working in the Hesketh shop. It is only now I have started to think about it.”

The pairs in the final also include Eastham Lodge professional Nick Sargent with Liverpool policeman, Mike Burford, who plays off four.

They booked their place in the final with a 13-under-par winning score at Dunham Forest in June.

Sargent, who reached the Glenbrae PGA Fourball Championship final in October and topped the Cheshire and North West Order of Merit for the second successive year, admits the overall title and the £5,000 to the winning professional are big incentives to doing well.

Š“I am not going out there for dinner. I am going out there to win,” said the 30-year-old.

Š“I played in the Glenbrae final but did not do too great. You and your partner need to both be on song and it just did not happen.

“With this final you need a good partner and I have got one so I see no reason why we cannot win.”

Since cruising through to the final with 37-year-old Burford, Sargent has not played with his partner and refuses to do so until the practice round in Turkey.

“We have done absolutely nothing and that is how it should be because the last thing I want to do is to put any extra pressure on him,” said Sargent, now in the final at the seventh attempt.

“I do not want him to think he has got to have lessons or change something to his swing. I have been here before with people who have gone down that route and then when they go out and play it is all too much and they play horrendous because they feel under pressure as a result.

“I do not want that. I just want Mike to play his natural game. He plays off four so he is a very good player. I have also looked at the course and not only is it long but there is a lot of water on it. Mike is a big hitter and so I feel he’ll cope with that.”

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