Fate was certainly smiling on George Young in the Apeiron Northern Order of Merit at Blackburn on Sunday.
FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play
The Clitheroe player won the Revidge Cannon for the second time in three years. A pair of highly-eventful 70s was enough to leave him one ahead of Prestbury’s Matthew Delany.
However there was late drama with former professional Harrison Proos being disqualified for failing to sign his card after posting a 67 in the afternoon. It would have given the Skipton player a three-shot victory.
it meant Young was left to celebrate his third Northern Order of Merit success. His maiden victory came at Clitheroe six years ago and the cousin of former Lancashire county stalwart Mark was delighted after an unsettling start.
“It’s been hit and miss recently,” admitted the 25-year-old.
“There were plenty of birdies and plenty of mistakes and at the first, seventh and 10th I topped my drives. I was being followed round my one of the members and he was giving me a bit of stick.
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“Thankfully I got on a bit of run on the back nine and that set me up really.”
In the morning Young was three over after 11 but four birdies in five holes got him back among the leaders.
At the 12th he stuck a nine iron to 10 feet (pin high) before knocking that in and at the par five next, was just off the green in two before getting up and down.
The 14th was navigated with a par before two further birdies followed. At 15 he wedged one into 15 feet and then then at the par three 16th flushed a nine iron inside four feet.
He then navigated the treacherous 17th despite. coming close to finding water with his drive. and his opening one-under-par effort left him one back of halfway leaders Delany and overall Northern Order of Merit leader Andrew Haswell (Ormskirk).
In the afternoon Young reached the turn in one under with two pars on his card. Four birdies and three bogeys were also posted and two more birdies on the back nine kept him one under for his round and two under for the tournament.