The Zone Interactive Golf Magazine (UK) The Zone Issue 27 | Page 24

GOLF NEWS

Patterson
& Ellis share
honours

Ian Ellis (above) of
Costessey Park and
Lee Patterson of Royal
Cromer shared the
honours in the Norfolk
PGA pro-am over the
Manor championship
course at Marriott
Sprowston Manor.
Both signed for twounder-par rounds of
69 to beat third-placed
Neil Mitchell (Bury Golf
Range) by three shots.
Four players were tied
fourth with rounds of
75.
They were Craig
Graver, Norfolk PGA
champion Jason Groat,
Joe Lambert and Alex
Beckett.
Lambert, in his
final event before
undergoing a major
operation on his back,
led the winning team
of Tom Chapman,
Sonney Williams and
George Bradfield with
11-under-par 131.

24

Home and away winners
at Wildernesse

L

ocal hero Gary Gilligan
(above), of Wildernesse GC,
and Andy Butterfield, from
neighbouring Knole Park GC,
turned the Wildernesse Pro-Am
into a local derby by shooting fourunder-par 68s to share the spoils.
Sharing the winners’ cheques,
the Kentish stars edged out some
strong competition from Paul Page
(King’s Hill) and Rob McGuirk
(Prince’s) who finished a stroke
behind to share second spot after
carding 69s.
Although with fast yet holding
greens, Butterfield commented that
the course was there for the taking
and that he wasn’t surprised to see
plenty of scores under par.
He said: “I’m playing for fun these
days and I never know what I’m
going to get, but it was a lovely day
for golf and the prospect of some
really good scores was always on

the cards – no pun intended!”
Gilligan’s approach was typically
competitive, looking for a good
score from the start. But after
missing a birdie opportunity on his
first hole, the par five 18th, he was
two-over-par after five holes and
needed some inspiration.
He duly found it and charged
through the next eight holes with
six birdies to get to four-underpar with five holes left. Stumbling
on the 16th with a bogey, Gilligan
responded with an excellent birdie
on his last hole, the 17th, to finish
in the money.
Butterfield, starting on the eighth,
did things a little differently,
birdying all four of the par fives
and a birdie at the par four 16th. “I
drove really well, setting up plenty
of opportunities and making
things easier for myself on the par
fives.
THEZONE / ISSUE 27