West of England joy for Devon county champion
A devastating burst of scoring carried Sam Williams to an emphatic victory in Sunday’s final of the West of England Open at Burnham & Berrow.
FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play qualifier / 5 rounds of matchplay
In the 36-hole finale with Somerset’s Joshua Freeman (Worlebury), Williams won seven of the first nine holes in afternoon to claim a 10&8 success.
The Devon player, who had started the second round three up, went into overdrive, playing his best ever nine holes to secure the biggest win of his life.
Watch Sam Williams selects his highlights for 2022
The 25-year-old, who won his county title last year, was thrilled with the victory and also paid tribute to his Teignmouth clubmate Rory Hunt, who just missed out on qualifying for the matchplay stages but hung around to caddy all five rounds.
Last night Williams said: “Those nine holes yesterday, has got to be the best I have ever played given how tough the course was playing.
“I just tried to concentrate on each shot and it was one of those days when I was just able to focus completely on what I was trying to do without anything else bothering me.
“And it was great to have a good experienced head on the bag. Rory had reached the quarter-finals in 2004 so was very helpful.”
However, a day earlier, Williams’ challenge looked done and dusted at the last eight stage. Playing the last all square, and with opponent Calum Fitzgerald (Bowood) just short in two, Williams put his second in trouble and had to take a drop before chipping to 20 feet.
After leaving his fourth a good distance from the hole, Fitzgerald went from a wedge to a putter and did not hit a good third, leaving himself 15 feet for his par.
Williams then knocked in the bogey putt and his opponent missed to send the match into extra time. Then at the first play-off hole, Fitzgerald found trouble and conceded with his playing partner just four feet away in two.
“I remember thinking after dropping out I was dead and buried but that 20-foot putt was probably the best of my life.
“After holing that and making it through I thought it might be my week. I really had to dig deep.”
Williams never looked back after huge scare. Despite losing the first to Lewis Beer in the semi-finals, he played some brilliant stuff on his way to a 4&3 win. An eagle at the second put him two up and he also birdied six and eight while a par was enough to win the tenth and send him four up.
The Teignmouth player had a wobble at the start of the back nine which allowed Beer to half the deficit but Williams responded superbly, taking the 14th and 15th to see out the match.
The following day he was never behind in the final and went into overdrive after Freeman won the 19th to cut the gap to two.
The Worlebury golfer three-putted the 20th to drop back and then his opponent sunk one from 25 feet at the 21st and and also won the 22nd to get five up.
Freeman bogeyed the 23rd and Williams birdied the 24th to send the gap up to seven before the next was halved in pars, providing some welcome respite for the Somerset player.
But his Devon-based opponent kept his foot to the floor by birdieing the 26th and 27th leaving him dormie and it was not long before the match was conceded as Freeman smashed his drive at the 28th (10th) out of bounds, shaking hands on the tee.
On Thursday 57 players attempted to qualify while also playing for the War Memorial Trophy over 36 holes, Gloucestershire’s Ed Butler (Lansdown) finished top of the pile thanks to rounds of 69 and 71 but his defence of the title ended the following day in the second knockout round, Fitzgerald winning on the 18th.