Charlie Crockett wasted no time in making a big impression back home as the University of Missouri student won the Surrey Men’s County Championship at West Byfleet.
FORMAT 36-hole stroke play / 4 rounds of matchplay
The 22-year-old arrived back in London on Tuesday and was still “a little jetlagged” when he teed it up for the qualifying rounds on Friday.
Three days later he saw off Reigate Hill’s Will Dugdale 2&1 to win the competition for the first time. He also topped qualifying ahead of last year’s winner Aadam Syed (Foxhills), birdieing four of the last five holes to claim the number one seeding.
Although he almost came unstuck in the quarter-finals on Saturday night against the vastly-experienced Ian Attoe (Worplesdon). Crockett was one down after 13, won the next and hit a “memorable” flop shot from under a tree at 17 to three feet to give him the hole after a “terrible tee shot”. It got him up in the match at just the right time and he also won 18 to reach the last four while his game vastly improved the following day.
“I didn’t hit it great against Ian,” said the Addington Palace player. “I was struggling a little bit. That flop shot at 17 was a real momentum shifter because he is a tough player and really stuck around well.”
In the final against Dugdale, the key holes proved to be 14 and 15. The Reigate Hill golfer birdied 13 to go one up but Crockett hit back straight away, birdieing the next and then a par at the long par 15th was enough to give him the lead.
The new champion added: “I have been playing golf on difficult courses and the last five or six holes were harder. The longer holes suited me.
“The 15th is a tough hole and I hit two really good irons shots in (2 & 4 iron) and that turned the momentum a little bit.”
After the 16th was halved, both players had tricky par putts on 17 and Crockett sealed the victory in classic matchplay style, holing out from six feet while his opponent could not convert from five feet.
However there was good news for Dugdale in the team event as he, together with Ben Palmer and Callum Rice, just edged out Addington Palace.