LINCOLSHIRE LAD IS ENGLISH BOYS COUNTY CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS

Issued 23rd September 2012 Local lad Turner seals title with closing 68 Ashton Turner turned a good end of season into a superb one when he won the English Boys County Champion of Champions Tournament over the Hotchkin Course at The National Golf Centre, Woodhall Spa.  A closing round of 68 for 139, seven under par, gave the Lincolnshire lad a one stroke winning margin over his international team-mate Nick Marsh from Yorkshire and two clear of BBO’s David Langley, who tied the course record with 64 for 141. Playing in his home county, Turner (image © Tom Ward) was tied with Marsh on six under with three holes to play. He parred the 16th and 17th and came to the last knowing that a par five would be good enough for him to win on countback.  But he covered the 540-yard 18th in style, firing a rescue club to the right fringe then chipping to four feet before holing out for a birdie. “I’m really pleased,” Turner said modestly. “I was aware of the situation and knew what Nick had finished with. I was a little nervous with the second shot on the last but I played solidly and putted better than I did in the morning round when I putted poorly.  It’s nice to be a national champion. This is the first ‘big one’ I’ve won and it’s nice to get my name on the trophy.” The 16 year old from Kenwick Park’s victory comes in a successful end-of-season run in which he scored five points from six in the Boys Home Internationals, represented GB&I in the Jacques Leglise Trophy and finished fifth in the North of England under 16 Championship. The cream certainly rose to the top as Marsh also capped a superb run by finishing runner-up with a closing 71 for 140, a performance that comes hard on the heels of his success in Canada and with Yorkshire in the Boys County Championship. After coming home in 34 in the afternoon, Marsh declared: “I didn’t play as good as I did this morning but I got it round. I hit one or two loose shots and I had a three putt at the tenth. How I would describe it on the front nine this afternoon would be that there was ‘no heat to the fire’. But I had four birdies in six holes on the back nine and overall I was pleased with the way I played. I’m not disappointed with six under.” Langley’s 64, in which he returned nine birdies and covered both nines in 32, equalled the mark set by David Horsey in the Men’s County Champions event several years ago. “My iron play was good, I kept the ball in the fairway which you must do around here and crucially I holed some solid putts,” he said.  “With nine birdies, I couldn’t have got much more out of the round.” For full results visit the Championships section of the England Golf website.-ENDS- For further information please contact: Lynne Fraser, Marketing and PR Manager Email: pr@englandgolf.org Tel: 01526 354500