West of England U-16s ends with play-off drama
There was another impressive play-off victory for Surrey’s Monty Holcombe as he picked up the West of England U-16s title at the fourth extra hole.
FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play
The Walton Heath junior finished level with national, county and club teammate Kris Kim on four under at Cotswold Hills.
And the duo could not be separated until, on the second playing of the 18th, Holcombe rolled in a 20-footer for birdie.
In July the 15-year-old, who will play alongside Kim for England U-16s against Ireland next month (Oct 8-9), won the inaugural Peter Alliss Memorial Trophy at the second extra hole, having also won a Faldo Series event in extra time last year.
In July he did lose the Surrey U-16s in a play-off to Ollie George but was delighted to make it 3-1 at the Gloucestershire venue on Sunday.
“I hadn’t been in a play-off until last year and it does feel like I am getting used to them now,” said Holcombe.
“That said Kris probably played the slightly better stuff in the play-off. I guess I just took my chance.”
Kim, the England Boys U-14s champion in 2021, had an opportunity to win it at the first extra hole but just missed his birdie putt from 15 feet after his playing partner got up and down for par.
At the next both made scrappy pars before heading back to the tenth when each player left their approach shot just short before chipping to gimme range.
The deadlock was then broken at 18 where Kim could not sink his from 25 feet and could only watch as his clubmate did not miss from slightly closer in.
In normal time both Surrey stars posted 68, 72 to leave themselves three ahead of Bristol & Clifton’s Finn Ellis and county colleague James Brash (Foxhills).
Holcombe managed six birdies to take a share of a three-shot lead before letting slip a good score in the afternoon. Starting on the tenth, he was bogey-free in getting to three under after 11 but had to settle for a par score.
“In my head I was thinking the minimum I had to get to in the afternoon was two or three under,” added Holcombe.
And that certainly looked on as he birdied his second hole (the 11th) by knocking an eight iron to seven feet.
Seven pars followed before he took advantage of the short par four first (his 10th) and second (11th), both times knocking a wedge in tight.
However a three-putt double bogey at the third, having driven into woodland, checked his momentum but he recovered some of the ground with a birdie at the par five fifth.
Back-to-back bogeys on his 16th and 17th saw him drop back to four under for the competition and then he missed a five-footer for birdie at the last while Kim bogeyed his final hole after another solid effort.