A move to the aimpoint putting method certainly paid early dividends for Staffordshire’s James Claridge as he claimed his second major open at Berkhamsted.
FORMAT: 54-hole stroke play (reduced from 72 holes)
The Walton Heath Trophy champion admitted the short stick has been his most problematic club in recent years but, after a session with England Golf putting coach Nick Soto in Portugal, things started to click as he won the Berkhamsted Trophy by three shots.
The event was reduced to 54 holes after bad weather wiped out the second round on Friday with Claridge overhauling first-round leader Zach Little (West Herts) in fine style to finish 11 under overall.
Claridge said: “I started doing Aimpoint a couple of weeks ago after an England Golf training camp at Quinta do Lago. I have had caddies who have used it in the past but I have been struggling with putting so I thought the worst that can happen is I’ll be no worse off.
“At the Spanish Amateur, especially, I had been striping it but didn’t hole any putts but since using it a couple of weeks ago, it has really helped, especially with the 5-15 footers.”
And the 20-year-old certainly had plenty of them, especially in the second of three rounds on Saturday when he hit 17 out of 18 greens in regulation on his way to a 66 (-5).
Having started on the 10th – a hole he birdied – Claridge turned in one under, a bogey on 17 have particularly irked the Enville player. He had just 100 yards in for his second shot at the par four.
But that proved just a blip as he gave himself eight birdie opportunities from 12 feet or better on his back nine, converting at the second, third, fifth and ninth.
That run got him level with Little going into the final round. The Hertfordshire Bowl champion had racked up eight birdies on his way to an opening 64.
Claridge admitted that the news the first-round leader had bogeyed a couple early doors on the final afternoon meant he started protecting his lead and played more negatively.
“I birdied two and then someone tole me Zach had bogeyed a couple early and I played differently and then made bogey on nine.
“Thereafter I went back to playing how I did in the morning and attacked the pins on the back nine.”
Again Claridge’s exceptional iron play came to the fore. In the final round his GIR tally was 16 and the birdies finally came down the stretch, getting up and down at the par five 16th for a four and then at the next he struck his approach to eight feet.
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At the last he had another opportunity from seven feet but left it in the jaws, closing out with a two-under 69, a score matched by his playing partner Jake Plumb (Links, Newmarket), who finished third.
The victory also represents a major boost in Walker Cup year. Claridge will be one of dozens who have a chance. On paper this appears to be the most open of GB&I races.
“It is in the back of my head,” said the Enville star. “I’m not in the practice squad so I will probably have to win one of the big four (British Am, Lytham Trophy, St Andrews Old Links, Brabazon) to get in or finish in the top five of all of them.
“I am pretty sure of all the players in the Berkhamsted Trophy who had WAGR points, I was the lowest ranked so there is a long way to go but to get the win gives me a push towards St Andrews.”