Joe Feather and Nigel Sweet of Leeds Golf Centre OH, WHAT a night! February 22nd was an evening to remember as Yorkshire scooped two top prizes at the England Golf Awards which highlighted all that’s great about golf in England. Leeds Golf Centre, which offers golf for all, was named Club of the Year and Drax’s Liam Ridgill, who has done so much for his club, walked off with the Young Ambassador of the Year award. Guests at the glittering, black tie event at the Royal Lancaster London applauded Leeds Golf Centre for its open- door policy which is designed to grow the game. The centre’s aim is to get more people into golf – and to look after them once they’re playing. Their efforts pay off wi
Yorkshire is mourning the loss of two great golfing characters. Bob Wilkinson, a stalwart of the European Tour and the European Senior Tour in the 1980s and 1990s, died after a prolonged battle with cancer. The former Fixby member was 75. Bob was instrumental in helping take the European Tour outside the boundaries of Europe with the Dubai Desert Classic, where he was Tournament Director from its first staging in 1989 until he retired in 2002. He was also involved in the creation of the Senior Tour in 1998, bringing sponsor Lawrence Batley to the table with the Lawrence Batley Seniors event. This followed an association with Lawrence Batley which stretched back almost two decades from his pr
LINDRICK’S Bailey Gill defied a bout of food poisoning to build on his impressive start to the season by finishing runner-up in the Portuguese Amateur Championship, at the Montado Golf Resort. After falling sick on arrival in Lisbon it looked as though Gill would have to withdraw from the tournament as he was unable to take part in any of the practice rounds. Despite his lack of preparation, he managed to complete the first round in a one-under-par score of 71. Starting at the 10th, he had four birdies, five bogeys and an eagle at the 477-yard par-5 17th. With his strength returning, Gill carded a five-under 67 on day two. He had three birdies in an outward two-under-par 34, dropped a shot a
DAVID HAGUE’S maiden trip Down Under showed he is ready to dine at the top table of amateur golf. During his month-long tour, which took in four high-ranking events against top quality international fields, the Malton & Norton youngster was beaten by a shot in the prestigious Avondale Amateur and went down by one hole in the quarter-finals by the eventual winner Keita Nakajima in the Australian Amateur. He also made it to the last 16 in the New South Wales Amateur and challenged after two rounds of the Master of the Amateurs before falling ill. Hague was suitably pleased with his bonzer month. He said: “It was a really nice trip. The weather was good and more importantly the golf was good. “
YORKSHIRE may have uncovered another golfing gem in 12- year-old Josh Berry. The Doncaster Golf Club member already plays off a handicap of 2.1 and is heading to the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in San Diego in July after winning the Spanish qualifying event by a massive 20 shots. Josh, who only took up the game three years ago, shot an impressive total of two under par over 54 holes of the tough Asia course at La Cala Resort in Mijas on the Costa Del Sol. And he is hoping it will be third time lucky in Southern California having qualified for the biggest international junior golf event in the world for the past two years. The tournament has grown to attract 1,200 participants repr
