Tucker Trophy hosted by Whitchurch and Newport
FORMAT: 72-hole stroke play
Aberdovey’s Connor Jones came from four back in the final round to claim the illustrious Tucker Trophy Open at Whitchurch and Newport Golf Clubs.
The 21-year-old, who this year started at college in Orlando where he is doing a Master in Public Health, bogeyed two of the last three holes on his way to closing 69 and thought he had blown his chance.
However it proved enough to finish two ahead of Celtic Manor’s Theo Baker and three clear of third-round leader Craig Melding (Neath), who slipped back after a final-round 76. Newport hosted the first two rounds on Saturday before the event moved to Whitchurch yesterday.
“I played with Craig in the first two rounds and knew how solid his game was so thought I just hadn’t quite done enough,” said the Welsh international, who represented his country at the Home Internationals in 2019.
“But I had no idea what he was doing but it was nice not knowing because it gave me a bit of freedom.”
Jones reached four under at the 15th by knocking in a 35-footer having also birdied the par three 13th, where he stiffed his tee shot.
On day one rain blighted play in the morning and scores in the first round rose a result. Whitchurch’s Stuart Clark was the only player to break par (70) and in the afternoon high winds also made for tricky conditions at Newport but Baker came storming through to take a 36-hole lead thanks to a five-under-par 67.
Jones, who spent three years at Hartpury University in Gloucestershire, added: “In the first round I didn’t hit the ball well but holed a a lot of six-foot putts and generally managed to scramble well.
“At Whitchurch I was just trying to stay in it. Again I holed a lot of three, four and five footers on those slopey greens and thankfully was close enough. I just wanted to be under par for the third round.”
Baker’s third-round 73 allowed Melding to ease to the front on the back of a four-under 67 while Jones went round in 70 to achieve his ambition and then went one better in the afternoon to finish the job off.