FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play
It was a case of third time lucky for Southport and Ainsdale stalwart Paul Bagshaw as he won his first major seniors title at Bramhall in Cheshire on Wednesday.
Having finished recently finished second at the Welsh Open Seniors and also in the Wallasey Senior Scratch Stableford Open – on a card play-off – the 56-year-old went one better to win the North of England version.
A pair of 70s secured the title by three shots from Ringway’s Martyn Grimley and Garforth’s Steve Cain, who made a thrilling charge on his front nine. The West Yorkshire player was five under through nine but a double bogey on the 11th derailed his challenge.
It was much steadier stuff from the Lancastrian, who started the final round one behind but was able to make a fast start, thanks in no small part to a chip-in birdie at the par three sixth. The day before he had pulled his tee shot into water on his way to a double bogey five.
“Considering what happened the day before that was a really significant moment for me,” said Paul, who won his club championship seven times between 1987 and 2010 and has been a member of S&A for 42 years.
“I played some pretty solid stuff and knew going into the last five or six holes I had a good chance to win.”
Playing in one of the final groups on Wednesday, only Rotherham’s Peter Daughtrey headed him – thanks to a 69 –but the Yorkshireman’s challenge quickly unravelled while Paul moved into the lead early on.
Aswell as his two at the sixth, Paul birdied the first and fourth, eventually turning in a one under 34. The back nine proved a tricky prospect for a number of the leaders and he bogeyed 11 and 16 before a birdie at 17 secured his second successive level par round.
The day before the plus one player parred in from eight to leave himself in joint second overnight. Huddersfield’s Frank Greaves and Wakefield’s Steve Mason also opened with a 70.