Experienced former pro Danny Belch is enjoying a resurgence in form this year and his season got a whole lot better in The Apeiron Northern Order of Merit at Nelson yesterday.
FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play
The 41-year-old from Bolton, by his own admission, has struggled to find a “settled” work/life balance until recently but with off-the-course matters improving, golf is now more at the forefront.
And he has been one of the most steady performers in the Northern Order of Merit in 2023, culminating in his two-shot success in Nelson Trafalgar trophy.
Belch, who tomorrow was due to tackle Open Final Qualifying tomorrow having made it through Regional Qualifying at Caldy last week, coped admirably in the tough conditions with winds gusting up to 30mph yesterday afternoon. His rounds of 70 and 71 left him two shots better off than home favourite Curtis Clarkin, Bolton Old Links’ Jack Bryan and James Cassell of Rossendale.
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Belch said: “In fact it was my missus who said to me: ‘Why don’t get out and play a bit more golf.’
“I hadn’t played in Local Qualifying for a while so that was one I definitely wanted to experience.
“And with each event I have played, I am getting a little bit more consistent. Plus I am enjoying my golf and playing with confidence.”
The victory also took the Bolton player up to fourth in the overall standings and follows on from his excellent second at Silloth in May. His last Northern Order of Merit victory came at Blackburn in 2021.
Belch added: “They were two good scores in the conditions. In round one I hit a lot of poor shots but that was the weather/conditions for you. It was rough and not pretty golf and the key was scrambling well.”
At halfway he one back of a gaggle of players who opened with a level par 70 – Cassell, Clitheroe’s Daniel Nutter, Nelson’s Ben Short and his brother Dominic.
In the afternoon, as conditions worsened, par golf proved to be good golf once more while the champion rounded things off with a birdie on 18 having wedged to 15 feet.
“After that putt went in I thought I might have a chance and that was a good feeling. I knew level par would be there or thereabouts.
“I played the par fives solidly. They were all downwind and quite easy while the par threes were so tough. They were all into the wind and if you got through them unscathed you were doing well. They were brutal.”
Clarkin and Chorley winner Bryan also came home in 70 to make the top three while overall Apeiron Northern Order of Merit leader Andrew Haswell was the only player to go under par. His second-round 69 saw him leap into eighth and extend his overall lead at the top to 36 points.