There was blanket finish in the S&A Bowl yesterday where everything fell just nicely for Ormskirk’s Andrew Haswell, who won on countback on his way to securing his first Lancashire Links title.
FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play
The Southport venue rarely fails to deliver and last night the Lancashire first teamer, who finished in a tie for 10th at last month’s Lytham Trophy, was a happy man as he came through the field late in both competitions.
The WAGR-ranked Lancashire Links Trophy combines the Formby Hare, won on Saturday by Royal Birkdale’s Greg Holmes, and the S&A Bowl and going into the second round yesterday, Haswell trailed Holmes by six in the Links and had six players ahead of him in the Bowl.
However a 69 proved enough for him to finish one head of Holmes in the Links while he took the Bowl on countback from Moortown’s Oliver Cage and Royal Lytham’s Jamie Van Wyk, who led after round one thanks to sparkling 67.
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Haswell admitted he got back to basics in an attempt to stay in both competitions although it was the prospect of winning the 72-hole event for the first time that was driving him on.
“It was a weird one because although I was six back of Greg Holmes going into the final round I was more bothered about The Links,” said The Ormskirk player.
“It was a bit of struggle. Recently I have been trying to hit some different shots; high shots and other stuff and it just hasn’t been working.
“Thankfully I managed to hit my driver well because my iron play was just about the worst it has ever been. Everything was going right.
“I just grafted hard and scrambled well and critically I stayed patient. Also, I managed to hole a lot of 4/5-footers for par.”
Van Wyk was the only player to break 70 in morning, set up by a dream start. He birdied four of the first five holes and also birdied 11 and 17 while his only blemish was a bogey at the par five seventh.
In the afternoon the Royal Lytham player’s start was as bad as the morning had been good, which opened things up to a gaggle of players. Eight members of the field had started with either a 70, 71 or 72, including Yorkshireman Cage, who unfortunately bogeyed the last to close out with a one-under 71.
Meanwhile Haswell was continuing to scramble well and went bogey free on his front nine while collecting birdies on five and seven.
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He added another on 14 and then picked up an unlikely one on 16 as he drove into trouble up the left, got within 80 yards with his second and superbly got up and down at the par five.
At the last the faced a devilish 25-footer down the hill for his birdie but was just hugely relieved to get down in two.
“I just tapped and it was so quick. I only had two feet for par but it had so much break on it, I was just so happy to see it drop.”
Haswell, who was the runner-up in the overall standings last year after a late-season surge, has stormed up to second in the overall Apeiron Northern Order Of Merit standings. With his fourth-placed finish in the Formby Hare, the 19-year-old collected 39 points over the weekend to close up to within four of leader Jack McPhail while Chris Parkinson is just a further two points back in fourth.