20 May 2010: Steve Jones (Canons Brook) and Charlie Bull (Lake Nona) carded identical rounds of 70 and 69 to win the Under-18 and Under-21 events at the latest Faldo Series UK Championship at Royal Ashdown Forest.
Jones and Bull both earned a place at the Faldo Series Europe Grand Final to be played at the Lough Erne Resort, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, on September 21-23.
They will be joined at Lough Erne, the Home of the Faldo Series Europe, by Boys’ Under-16 winner, 12-year old Marco Penge from Worthing, and by 2009 English Women’s champion, Charlie Douglass, a reserve for the forthcoming Curtis Cup match at Essex Country Club, Massachusetts, who carded a fine two under par 71 to win the Girls’ Under-21 title with a level par 36-hole aggregate of 146.
The final qualifier for the Grand Final was Kyra Horlock, a promising youngster from Broadstone, Dorset, who claimed top place in the Girls’ Under-16 event with rounds of 79 and 78.
This year’s Faldo Series Europe has produced a rash of low scoring and the Royal Ashdown Forest event was no different with both Jones and Bull recording five under par aggregates of 139 and Thomas Aspital (Selsey) and Ben Herbert (Clacton-on-Sea) also breaking par in warm Spring conditions.
Jones finished 6th at last year’s Grand Final and now has a chance to improve on that performance after two fine rounds which saw him finish three shots ahead of Aspital and four in front of Herbert.
The one handicapper from Sawbridgeworth was one shot off the pace after an opening 70 but then proceeded to take control with a superb 69 that included five birdies and just two dropped shots on the 143-yard par-3 9th and the 249-yard par-4 11th.
It was enough to give him a three stroke victory over Aspital in the Under-18 event and also to claim the overall prize at the Royal Ashdown Forest after beating Under-21 champion, Bull, on a card countback.
“I played solidly and hit a lot of greens and gave myself lots of birdie chances,” said Jones. “I really enjoyed the challenge of Royal Ashdown Forest and am looking forward to going back to the Grand Final.
“Hopefully I can improve on my 6th place last year.”
Bull is a talented young Englishman who is based at Lake Nona in Florida.
His second round 69 started in sparkling fashion when he birdied the 384-yard par-4 2nd and then eagled the 510-yard par-5 5th. He dropped a shot at the 9th, regained it at the 10th and then carded eight successive pars to finish five shots ahead of Dartford’s Daniel Byrne. There was a three-way tie for third place in the Boys’ Under-21 event with Bryan Rutherford (The London Club), Matthew Wallace (Batchworth Park) and Michael Saunders (Dartford) all posting one over par totals of 145.
The Boys’ Under-16 event produced one of the youngest winners in Faldo Series history.
Worthing’s Marco Penge turned 12 just four days before the Royal Ashdown Forest event started but that did not stop him carding rounds of 76 and 75 and then defeating North Foreland’s Jason Green on the third hole of a sudden-death play-off.
He opened with a steady 76 that saw him share third place alongside Green but then in the second round seemed destined to secure outright victory before dropping two shots to par at the 290-yard par-4 17th hole. That would have been enough to unsettle some youngsters but Penge is mature beyond his years and he recovered his poise with a par down the last and then defeated his nearest rival in extra time.
Douglass, a talented left-hander form the Brocket Hall club in Hertfordshire, opened with a two over par 75 but lived up to her billing as tournament favourite with a fine second round that left all her rivals trailing in her wake.
The fireworks started when she emulated Bull by carding an eagle three at the 478 yard par-5 7th and she also birdied the 121-yard par-3 9th to go out in 33 before dropping shots at both the 249-yard par-4 11th and the 485-yard par-5 12th. She got back on track with further birdies at the 225-yard par-3 15th and the 312-yard par-4 16th and, despite finishing with a bogey on the 290-yard par-4 closing hole, still secured a six shot victory over overnight leader, fellow Hertfordshire County team member, Harriet Kay from South Herts.
The Girls’ Under-16 section was won by Broadstone’s Kyra Horlock. The Dorset girl produced rounds of 79 and 78 for an eleven over par aggregate of 157, two shots ahead of Samantha Giles from St Mellion. Chelmsford’s Georgina Blackman came third despite a disappointing second round 86.
Results from the Faldo Series UK Championship at Royal Ashdown Forest
Boys’ Under-21s
139 – Charlie Bull (Lake Nona) 70-69
144 – Daniel Byrne (Dartford) 71-73
145 – Bryan Rutherford (The London Club) 77-68, Matthew Wallace (Batchworth Park) 73-73, Michael Saunders (Dartford) 73-72
Boys’ Under-18s
139 – Steve Jones (Canons Brook) 70-69
142 – Thomas Aspital (Selsey) 70-72
143 – Ben Herbert (Clacton-on-Sea) 69-74
144 – Ash Alderman (Mid Herts) 76-68
145 – Alfie Plant (Rochester & Cobham) 74-71
Boys’ Under-16s
151 – Marco Penge (Worthing) 76-75, Jason Green (North Foreland) 76-75 (Penge won on the third hole of a sudden-death play-off)
153 – Jordan Russell (Hill Barn) 76-77, Corey Sheppard (Hamptworth) 74-79, Scott Bryan (Wentworth) 76-77
Girls’ Under-21s
146 – Charlie Douglass (Brocket Hall) 75-71
154 – Harriett Key (South Herts) 73-81
157 – Hayley Todd (Royal Ashdown Forest) 78-79
168 – Becky Scott (Alresford) 84-84, Chelsea Masters (Highwoods) 83-85
Girls’ Under-16s
157 – Kyra Horlock (Broadstone) 79-78
159 – Samantha Giles (St Mellion) 84-75
160 – Georgina Blackman (Chelmsford) 74-86
162 – Nicole Cowley (Dartford) 82-80
165 – Gabriella Cowley (West Essex) 80-85