Clutch Pro Tour - Hollinwell GC: 10 Players to Watch

The Clutch Pro Tour returns on June 29th with a £10,000 first prize on offer. As a result, it has attracted a stellar field with several European Tour members signed up to compete. The 18-hole event will require low scoring and I expect a tightly-packed leaderboard. Here are my ten players to look out for:

Richard Mansell

Coming off a T2 on the Jamega Tour's 18-hole event on June 25th, the Challenge Tour player will be hoping to continue his good form. He is returning to the Challenge Tour for back-to-back events in Austria, beginning on July 9th (co-sanctioned with the European Tour). Monday's event will likely be his last event before heading off to Austria.

Robert Rock

The European Tour pro shot 69 (-2) in the most recent Clutch Pro Tour event and will be hoping to shoot a few strokes better at Hollinwell against a stronger field. He will be paired with Mansell and Mitch Waite, so hopefully they can feed off each other and go low.

Charley Hull

The 25th ranked player in the Rolex Rankings has been ramping up her competitive rounds in the last few weeks. The Englishwoman triumphed in the first event of the Rose Ladies Series on June 18th and also played two tournaments on June 25th. She has the game to compete with the men and it would be great to see her near the top of the leaderboard. Both the Clutch Pro Tour and 2020 Pro Tour are open to female competitors and that is a fantastic thing for the game of golf.

Todd Clements

The talented Englishman recently competed on the TP Tour on June 18th and finished in a tie for 7th. Like Mansell, he is competing in Austria so he will be looking to post a solid result in preparation for his return to the Tour. Clements has had an impressive last two years as a professional, and his swing work with former European Tour member, Zane Scotland, has been noticeable.

Gary King

King is a former European Tour member who is trying to return to the highest level. He finished T2 on the TP Tour on June 18th and was in contention on the Clutch Pro Tour last Monday but dropped a few strokes coming in. He will be a dark horse contender at Hollinwell. 

Andy Sullivan

The popular European Tour member competed on June 25th in the Pro-Am at Worplesdon Golf Club and shot 1-under in his first competitive round since the lockdown. Sullivan has been frustrated in recent years with his winless streak but mentioned to the BBC that the prolonged break has been great for his mental well-being and he's been able to get his game back in order.

Connor Syme

The Scotsman is taking part in the event at Hollinwell partly due to the fact that his management company, Modest! Golf Management, has become a partner of the Clutch Pro Tour. Syme won the BMW Indoor Invitational presented by Trackman at Royal Portrush on May 16th competing against several top European Tour players, so he will be looking to keep the good form going. He will be playing in Austria as well.

George Bloor

Bloor was one of my picks from last week but was very disappointing as he shot 9-over (80). He did bounce back with a T4 finish on the Jamega Tour on June 25th. Hopefully his game will rise to the occasion and he can find himself challenging for the £10k first prize.

Jamie Donaldson
The 2014 Ryder Cup star has been competing on the 1836 Tour and 2020 Pro Tour in recent weeks trying to get his game back to its best. He finished T3 on the 2020 Pro Tour on June 15th and T2 on the 1836 Tour on June 23rd. His game is trending in the right direction and should be contending for the title.

OJ Farrell

Farrell was last Monday's winner on the Clutch Pro Tour in a playoff over European Tour member, Ashley Chesters. It was the Marquette University graduate's first professional victory. It will be interesting to see how he plays at Hollinwell against an even stronger field. 

Clutch Pro Tour - Sandwell Park Classic: 10 Players to Watch

The Clutch Pro Tour returns to action on June 22 at Sandwell Park Golf Club in the West Midlands. The event has a £6,000 prize fund and has attracted a very strong field of both male & female professionals. Here are a handful of players to look out for:

Paul Broadhurst

The competitor in the field with the greatest career highlights (1991 Ryder Cup, 6 European Tour wins, and 5 PGA Tour Champions wins), Broadhurst will be one of the favorites for sure. With the PGA Tour Champions season set to resume the last week in July, he has been keeping his game sharp by playing on the 1836 Tour and 2020 Pro Tour in northern England.

Robert Rock

Known for his near-perfect swing and classic style, the full-time pro and part-time coach will certainly be one of the betting favorites. With a best finish of tied-36th in Oman, "Rocky" will be looking to get his game back in shape before the Tour's re-start next month.

Oliver Farr

Another European Tour member in the field, the 32-year-old Welshman will also be looking to get his game in shape after struggling in the first six events of his season. His best finish is tied-28th in the South African Open in January. Farr wrote a blog entry on the European Tour's website describing his play last season and his wife's career working for the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ashley Chesters

The third and final European Tour member in the field, the 30-year-old Englishman is currently ranked 102nd on the Race to Dubai. He will be looking forward to getting a scorecard in his hand and competing for the title.

Meghan MacLaren

This woman has a lot of talent and will be paired with Farr and James Mack. A winner on the LET in 2019, she has been billed as a future Solheim Cup player. The Englishwoman has been outspoken regarding the gap between the men's and women's game in terms of prize money and sponsorships. Do not be surprised to see her name near the top of the leaderboard at Sandwell Park.

Holly Clyburn

A member of the Ladies European Tour and Symetra Tour, the Englishwoman will certainly be itching to compete after playing only three events so far in 2020. A former top-100 ranked player in the world back in 2014, the popular player will be looking to get a competitive round in to see where her game is at before the women's game resumes.

Felicity Johnson

The third LET player in the field, Johnson is a two-time winner on the circuit but has struggled in the past few years. She lives in Birmingham so maybe she can use the home comforts to her advantage. Will be looking to get some competitive reps in before the LET resumes (next event is scheduled to be the Ladies Scottish Open in August).

George Bloor

Keep an eye on this player. Plays a lot of events on the UK mini tour circuit and usually finishes in the money. Won the Portugal Pro Tour Order of Merit in 2019/2020 and will be awarded a few Challenge Tour starts in 2020 or 2021. Recently won on the 1836 Tour on 6/19/2020 after shooting a 65 which is what needs to be shot to win these 18-hole events.

Richard Mansell

Another talented Englishman who finished 2nd on the EuroPro Tour Order of Merit and has a Challenge Tour card for 2020. His form in 2020 has not been up to his standards but anyone who has shot 58 in college can go low any day of the week.

Marco Penge

In keeping with the theme of talented young Englishmen, Penge has Challenge Tour status courtesy of his finish on the EuroPro Tour in 2019. He recently won on the 1836 Tour after shooting 65 and has the game to go low. A little inconsistent but if his game is on, he will be near the top of the leaderboard.


Clutch Pro Tour website - https://www.clutchprotour.co.uk/

HOW VALUABLE ARE UK MINI TOURS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK?

It's no secret that the Coronavirus has made us drastically alter our daily routines. While there are a great majority who have the good fortune of working from home and continue to earn money, there are those who do not have that luxury. Those who make their living based on their results (i.e. no contract or salary) are in a very uncertain situation at the moment. Professional golf and tennis are two sports that are most affected by the postponement of events. Sure, those at the top level are affected in the sense that they can't compete, but financial concerns for them ended a long time ago. Those with real concern are the golfers who ply their trade on golf's lower tiers.

Prior to the Coronavirus becoming a pandemic, those not at the top level still had an ideal early-season schedule: 3 Challenge Tour events in South Africa from late January to mid-February and then compete on the MENA Tour until late April. A few weeks off and then the Challenge Tour would resume in Prague, Czech Republic, in early May. If only they knew what sort of difficulties were on the horizon.

The 3 events in South Africa did take place as planned. Although the MENA Tour did stage the first 5 events without issue, the tour decided to postpone the remaining 6 events until September-December due to the various health and travel restrictions associated with the virus. As for the Challenge Tour, they cancelled the Prague event and will now start in Switzerland in late May at the earliest.

For most players, the significant schedule change has forced them to find places to play. Mini tours in the UK have been a godsend for many players, especially The Clutch Pro Tour. Offering by far the biggest prize funds of any mini tour in the UK, the tour recently held their first "Major" of the season on March 20th. The prize fund was £25,000 and Scott Gregory took home the winner's check of £10,000. Several European Tour and Challenge Tour members competed in this 18-hole event at The Shire London. Obviously, mini tours had no idea that they would be playing an enormous role in a golf pro's season due to the postponement/cancellation of many events.

The Jamega Tour is hosting their first event April 6-7 and I would expect this field to be incredibly strong with European Tour players taking part, as their season has been postponed until late May at the earliest. This event is still scheduled to take place at the time of writing this post.

Other tours such as the 2020 Pro Tour (open to men and women), 1836 Tour, and TP Tour provide additional opportunities for male and female players at this crucial time. As far as I'm aware, there are no women-only golf tours in the UK and, with the Ladies European Tour season at a standstill, it is imperative that British female golfers have the opportunity to keep their game sharp and earn some money along the way.

All this takes on more significance because the third tier PGA EuroPro Tour has cancelled its entire season, originally set to begin in May. This is a premier developmental tour in the UK, with the top-5 on the money list earning promotion to the Challenge Tour. Many young British golfers will be leaning on the mini tours to get them through 2020. There are many individuals who rise to the top when their backs are against the wall. Unfortunately, many professionals will not have the financial resources to continue past this season. What we have to remember is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and our lives will return to a sense of normalcy in the (hopefully) not too distant future. In the meantime, let's stay isolated and prevent those who are vulnerable from being exposed to this deadly virus.  

Simon Dyson signs with Cobra Puma Golf

Cobra Puma Golf announced the signing of six-time European Tour winner Simon Dyson. Dyson, who's battled injuries and poor play the past two years, will be looking forward to breathing new life into his game. In his first event as a Cobra staff player, he missed the cut at the Trophee Hassan II after rounds of 79 and 75. The 39-year-old Englishman is playing a full schedule this season courtesy of his place in the top-40 career money list category on The European Tour. His best finish was a tie for 45th in the Australian PGA Championship in December. For someone who's won some big events on Tour, it has to have been a big hit to his confidence to see his world ranking at 1,432nd. Hopefully the man known as "Dys" can re-discover some good form and get his season going as the Tour makes its way back to European soil in a few weeks.

Dyson's bag (once he finishes testing) will have the following Cobra clubs:

KING F7+ Driver – Mitsubishi Fubuki K Series 60 X-Stiff

KING F7 3-4 14.5 Fwy – Mitsubishi Fubuki ZT 70 X-Stiff

KING F7 5-6 18.5 Fwy - Mitsubishi Fubuki ZT 70 X-Stiff

KING PRO CB/MB Irons- 4-PW Black – Project X PXI 7.0

KING PUR Versatile Wedges - 51,55,59 - KBS custom series X

Cobra doesn't have a huge stable of players, but they have some big names: Rickie Fowler, Lexi Thompson, and Bryson DeChambeau. It's not for the lack of boldness and style of their equipment, however. They make absolutely beautiful irons (especially the KING Pro CB/MB and KING Forged One-Length) and offer a lot of color for their drivers and woods. I like Cobra equipment so much that in my bag, 11 of my 14 clubs are Cobra. They are one of those brands that you just know will be a big player in golf equipment in the not-too-distant future. They have a great research and design team and are always thinking outside the box.

Andrew Marshall gains sponsor's invite into Trophee Hassan II

Veteran Englishman Andrew Marshall was handed a sponsor's invite for this week's Trophee Hassan II at Royal Golf Dar Es Salaam in Morocco. The 43-year-old was most likely given the invite based off his play on the MENA Tour last year and in two events this year in Morocco. He's always been known as a great ball striker but he struggled in 2015 on the European and Challenge Tours and has resorted to playing on the EuroPro Tour and MENA Golf Tour for the past couple of years. He's picked up three wins over that period of time and he finished T2 in his last event. This is a huge event for him as the prize fund is €2.5 million and will probably be the only European Tour event he plays in this season. I know he's friends with many of the players in the field and will want to show that he can compete with them. He will certainly want to take full advantage of this opportunity. He knows the climate and has played well in the region so I would certainly expect him to make the cut. Anything after that is a bonus but I wouldn't be surprised if he posts a high finish. Watch this space when I recap the tournament.

Nike golfers are playing really well now just weeks after company announces they won't be making clubs anymore

On August 3, 2016, Nike announced that they would no longer be making clubs, balls, and bags due to, basically, not enough sales. Nike will still continue producing apparel. This came as a huge surprise to the golf world, especially because two of golf's biggest names, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, are Nike players. As a result, it will be fascinating to see where all the Nike staff players land.

Despite the disappointing news, several "swoosh" players have been playing really well. American Paul Peterson was an Asian Tour player who had conditional status on the European Tour when he won the D+D REAL Czech Masters last week. Englishman Tom Lewis just shot 62 (-9) yesterday in the first round of the Made in Denmark tournament and it could have been a lot lower had he parred his way in after he was -12 thru 13 holes. Scotsman Scott Jamieson has had a pretty poor season by his standards but shot a 67 (-6) yesterday.

As far as where certain Nike players will land, it is difficult to predict. Some might stay with Nike clubs and balls for another year or two then sign with a new company. Of course, some players might stick with Nike apparel but play a full set of another company's irons or a mixture of irons from different companies. It will surely be interesting.

Open Championship: News & Notes

The 145th Open Championship begins Thursday at Royal Troon, and there are a few talking points to discuss:

1. 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie is back with Wilson Staff after playing Titleist clubs for the past year and a half. Lawrie has played the majority of his career with the equipment company that has won more majors than any other iron brand. The 47-year-old Scotsman has struggled this season with his putting, which has lead to a lack of confidence with all other facets of his game. Lawrie has also battled a four-year-old foot injury that will require surgery later this year. Hopefully a change of clubs will give him some optimism for this week.

2. Colin Montgomerie will hit the first tee shot in what is going to be a special moment for the 53-year-old Scot. "Monty" is a member of Royal Troon and learned how to play the game there. His father was the club secretary for 20 years and he still considers it his home course. The current PGA Tour Champions player qualified through one of four 36-hole qualifiers two weeks ago and it would not surprise me at all to see him in contention over the weekend.

3. American Brooks Koepka withdrew from the championship, citing a wrist injury. Koepka was a European Tour member the previous two seasons but gave it up this season. He has a lot of talent and should be a major winner very soon.

4. Look out for Padraig Harrington this week. The two-time Open Champion has played well the past two weeks, finishing T30 in the French Open and T21 in the Scottish Open, respectively. The 44-year-old Irishman seems to always play well on links courses and I really like his chances this week.