Worcestershire captured the PGA England and Wales Inter-County Championship after fending off the challenge of the Essex team at Sutton Coldfield Golf Club in Birmingham.
Represented by Simon Gabbitas and Ian Martin, Worcestershire began the second round a shot clear of the 27-strong field, and that proved to be the margin of victory, as the pair held their collective nerve to repel challenges from some of the PGA’s most accomplished golfers to collect the £4,000 first prize.
Not least at the final hole when, with defending champions Essex, represented by Jason Levermore and Lloyd Kennedy, in the clubhouse on 10 under par, after completing the tournament’s foursomes leg in three-under.
Worcestershire were 11-under when Martin teed off at the par-four 18th, but a play-off against the Essex duo loomed large when Hagley Golf Club’s Gabbitas deposited his approach into a greenside bunker. Martin was equal to the challenge, however.
“I do like bunker shots, and I was quietly confident on that one,” said Martin, who is attached to Kings Norton Golf Club.
His confidence resulted in the ball landing close to the hole although, despite the harmony and camaraderie exhibited by the pair over the two rounds, there was a debate as to how far away it was. Martin estimated a foot-and-a-half. Given the foursomes format, which meant Gabbitas was tasked with holing the putt for victory, he countered by adding a foot.
“It was definitely two-and-a-half feet away,” he joked. “To be honest, when you start realising there’s money on it, the tournament is on it, and you don’t want to let your partner down, the putt seemed a lot longer than it was. You can tap those in all day long one-handed, but for some reason it was hard. But it went in the middle, and Ian didn’t bring his putter, so he did have some faith in me!”
Reflecting on the secret of the pair’s success, despite not having played together before, Gabbitas added: “We’re first and second in Worcestershire’s Order of Merit, so that’s how we qualified to represent the county. But we’ve known each other for a while and always got on. That was reflected in our game. We enjoyed ourselves, and it was a very relaxed and calm environment. We dovetailed well and holed a load of putts. This is the biggest achievement of my golfing career, and I think it is for Ian as well.”
Leading scores: Worcestershire 133 (-11); Essex 134 (-10); Devon 135 (-9); Bedfordshire & Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire 136 (-8).