Tillman Trophy victory represents huge turning point for Belton Park player
FORMAT: 72-hole stroke play
Will Hopkins has endured quite a bit of misfortune on and off the course in recent times but his compelling one-shot victory in the Tillman Trophy made up for a lot of that.
The Kansas State University student has been denied in fairly dramatic circumstances enough times and also a freak injury last year hit him hard in the middle of the season.
This year he has competed without properly challenging for a ‘big one’ but he put that right at Castle Royle Golf and Country Club in superb fashion, birdieing three of the last four holes to pip Suffolk’s Gregor Tait to the title. That included holing out from 25 feet at the last.
The tournament is now run by the Clutch Tour, having initially been set up by the Surrey Golf Union. However the organisers must have been delighted how it all panned out with a further three players finishing just two shots back. Going into the final round the top ten were separated by four shots.
Hopkins, who went into the fourth round one back of 54-hole leader James Claridge (Enville), was delighted to have taken full advantage of finding himself in a position to challenge.
“I played great all week,” said the 22-year-old from Belton Park in Lincolnshire.
“And there have been lots of occasions where it has gone the other way for me. Someone has holed out at the last or I have just missed.
“And it’s been a while since I have been in contention on the back nine. It is definitely the biggest win I have had a few years.”
With 36 holes being played on the final day, there was always the potential for some big movements and that was how it transpired. Hopkins was six back of halfway leader Charlie Forster. The Hampshire teenager blazed a trail by opening with a pair of 67s but he never recovered from a third-round 77.
The eventual winner got himself right in the mix thanks to a third-round 68, which included an eagle at 15 and birdie at 18.
In the final round he opened with seven pars but broke that run in the best way possible. The par five eighth was playing downwind and he took full advantage, flighting a seven iron to just below the hole before holing out.
He bogeyed the next and continued to give himself birdie chances without success until the par five 15th. There he was able to find the green in two and successfully got down in two from 30 feet.
A bogey followed at 16 and that was the first time he had a look at the leaderboard, discovering he was one behind.
Hopkins added: “I just wanted to know whether I needed to take it on but knowing I was just one back meant I didn’t go for the hero shot and I chipped out sideways.”
He did have a 10-footer for par but quickly put that disappointment behind him.
“I knew, stood on 17, I needed to birdie the last two holes.”
He wedged it to eight feet at the penultimate hole before knocking it in and then had 120 yards left for his second at 18, leaving himself a similar putt to the one he successfully holed in the morning.
Again he rolled it in “with plenty of oomph” to finish seven under par and then nervously watched as the final two groups finished.
Tait was first to finish and had a 30-footer to force a play-off but would have to settle for a par and a closing 69.
In the final group were Forster, Ben Quinney and Claridge and the latter needed to hole his second shot to deny Hopkins.
But, having birdied 17, the Staffordshire golfer could not produce a wonder shot and miracle ending.