Richard Ballard

WILTSHIRE'S Andy Beal, a former European Tour player, and Gloucestershire's Richard Ballard are two club professionals who are playing important roles in this year's West Region PGA order of merit programme.

They are organising 36-hole two-day tournaments at Hamptworth, near Salisbury, on September 10-11 and the Seabrook Crisps Forest Classic on July 9-10. One round is held at Forest of Dean and the other at Forest Hills.

The two events, combined with the flagship West Region Championship which Chris Gill (Exeter) will defend at Woodbury Park on August 19-20, are the three OOM events.

The championship, preceded by a pro-am, is again being sponsored by Waverley (The Beer Seller) who also support the Cornish Festival, and Diageo.

The Hamptworth Tournament will lead to rich pickings for the OOM winner. He will not only fill an automatic place in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, he will have the chance to compete in the 2008 Srixon PGA Play-Offs at Royal Liverpool, one of the country's most prestigious courses.

The leading three players from each of the seven PGA regions join the race to be acclaimed Great Britain and Ireland's best player at Hoylake on October 21-22.

Last year Devon's Sean Mason (Teign Valley), the order of merit winner and the top man at Hamptworth, plus former European Tour winner Andrew Sherborne (The Kendleshire) and Barry Austin (Downes Crediton) represented the West in the play-offs at Nottingham.

The PGA play-offs offer the leading finishers a gateway to European and Challenge Tour events. In addition to the prize money, there are extra incentives at Hoylake on October 21-22.

Andy Beal

Leading players gain entry to four of Europe's biggest events, the BMW PGA Championship, Celtic Manor Wales Open, Barclays Scottish Open and European Open as well as selected Challenge Tour events.

A welcome addition to the calendar is an Assistants' Championship with entry restricted to trainees only at Mendip Spring on June 12. A £9,000 three-year sponsorship deal has been arranged with a large group of suppliers to the golf trade.

There are a number of new pro-ams and one-day events to add further spice to the season that opened as usual with the three-day Cornish Riviera Festival played at Trevose, St Enodoc and Newquay last month.

New events are being staged at Gloucester and The Wiltshire while Rushmore Park and Meyrick Park host new pro-ams in Dorset. Clevedon is again the setting for a pro-am in support of Guide Dogs for the Blind on August 4.

The longest-running tournament, the White Hart Fourball Championship, is staged at Launceston for the 27th year from June 17-18.

The first of the five rounds of the Titleist-Footjoy League for young professionals under 30 was played at Exeter. Other venues are Stinchcombe Hill, Lyme Regis, Taunton Vale and Bath.

11:28am Wednesday 30th April 2008

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