FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play
A putting display that dreams are made of lifted Cameron Wallace to victory in the opening Yorkshire Order of Merit event of the season at Cleveland Golf Club.
The home-club player, who has previously won the Seaton Salver, had just 52 putts across the two rounds on Sunday, edging out Brancepeth Castle’s Richard Aisbitt and England Stroke Play champion Sam Bairstow (Hallowes) by one shot.
‘I literally holed everything” said the 22-year-old, who became a new dad in February so playing time has been limited.
“To be honest I wasn’t expecting much because I think it was my second round of the year but I hit it alright and then to have 26 putts in each round, is just something you don’t expect to happen.”
Wallace was two over thru 12 in the morning but three birdies in a row, starting at the 13th, lit the blue touchpaper. He holed from 20 feet, 15 feet and then 35 feet at the 15th to get himself under par before closing with a level par 72.
At halfway he was one behind Bairstow and Romanby’s Ben Brown but after lunch repeatedly saved himself with a host of 12-15 footers and also birdied all the par fives on the front nine.
Down the stretch Wallace’s putter kept the bogeys off the card in remarkable fashion as he sunk par putts from 12 feet at the 14th, from 15 feet at the 15th and then a ‘simple’ six footer at the next kept the momentum going. He would also par the last in more conventional fashion to secure the Cleveland golfer his first ever Yorkshire Order of Merit success.