NIKKI GETS THAT WINNING FEELING AGAIN AT LITTLE ASTON

NEWS RELEASE

WPGA ONE DAY SERIES

Nikki Dunn - image courtesy of Tony Marshall at Getty Images

Nikki Dunn kept her 2016 form going into the new season after finishing joint top of the leaderboard at the opening WPGA One Day series event at Little Aston Golf Club.

Dunn won the inaugural WPGA Lombard Trophy in Portugal last year.

And the final year Dinsdale Spa assistant had that winning feeling again at the Birmingham venue when she carded a three under par round of 71.

She tied for the lead with Ladies European Tour player and current Welsh National PGA Champion Lydia Hall, of Hensol Golf Academy in south Wales.

Darlington-based Dunn would have won the event had she not picked up a bogey at the par four 18th hole after making five birdies.

But the former England amateur was happy with her performance and now plans to re-focus on playing now that she has finished her PGA exams.

"Before I became a PGA assistant I was playing at international and county level and I spent four years in the USA in Texas and Florida," said Dunn.

"So now my exams are over I'll be looking to pick that up again. I'll be playing in the next round of the WPGA One day event which is at Dunham Forest which is a course I love playing at."

Dunn and Hall finished one shot ahead of Victoria Mallet (Mytime Active) who came third.

And Dunn admitted it was satisfying to match a player of Hall's pedigree.

"She wasn't the same group as me but it was good to compete with her at the top of the leaderboard - she's a tough cookie," said Dunn.

"I wasn't expecting that result at all as I haven't practiced much so far.

"My last competitive round was in September when we won the Lombard Trophy.

"I want to play another couple of One Day Series events before we have the Lombard qualifier again in June and I am looking forward to keeping my form going this season.

"I played Little Aston last year and before that I'd played it for England as a teenager of maybe 13 or 14. I know the course pretty well.

"It wasn't the best start or finish for me - but the middle bit was a case of 'when it's your day, it's your day'."

WPGA ONE DAY SERIES (1)
at Little Aston Golf Club, Monday 8 May, 2017
Results
Pos. Score Name Represents
T1 71 (-3) Nikki Dunn Dinsdale Spa Golf Club
Lydia Hall Hensol Golf Academy
3 72 (-2) Victoria Mallett Mytime Active
4 74 (Level) Sarah Smith Saffron Walden Golf Club
Danielle Anderson Stoke by Nayland Golf Club Ltd
6 75 (+1) Maria Tully Eastbourne Downs Golf Club
Hannah Davies Adlington Golf Centre
Sarah Walton Kington Golf Club