Simpson triumphs at Moortown

published 4 August 2008

The West Berkshire golfer won a play-off to lift the coveted silver trophy and £10,000 first prize but only after last year's runner up Andrew Barnett, had missed a putt of some two-and-a-half to three feet for victory on the 72nd hole.

The miss left the pair tied at 283 and into a sudden death play-off with Simpson carding a 76 and Barnett a 75. The pair both bogeyed the 18th on the first extra hole but Simpson secured the title with a par from 10ft after Barnett saw his seven-foot putt for par slide just past the hole.

The Welshman appeared to have erased that memory and had victory within his grasp standing on 17 with a two shot lead and just two to play but succumbed to the pressure, much to Simpson's relief.

"I'm surprised to be honest, the way I was playing before I came into the tournament, I didn't really give myself a chance," he said.

"But shooting 67s in the middle gave me a little bit of confidence. The dropped shots on 13 and 14 were a bit of a downer but I actually played okay from 15 onwards.

"It's a fantastic highlight, up there with playing in the PGA Cup in 1998 and of course it looks like I'll get to do that again."

An absorbing last round at Moortown, played amid blustering and testing conditions, ebbed and flowed but always looked in Simpson's control until a three shot swing on 13 when the Oxford-based pro double-bogeyed and Barnett birdied.

Wesselingh's challenge came up just short with a bogey on 16 but his one under 70 for third place total of 284 boosted his hopes of a sixth PGA Cup appearance at Carrick House next year.

"I'm looking back on a few putts that went begging and I'm thinking I could have won it but I'm happy with a top three and I'm pretty sure that will get me into PGA Cup team next year," he said.

"It also puts me in with a shout of making the England team for the PGAs of Europe International Team Championship."

"I saw them dropping back and thought if I could get down to two or one under it would be interesting but it wasn't to be," he said.

"But I'm happy with my play and I'd love to play in the PGA Cup because two of my close friends, Danny Taylor and James Whatley, played in it last year and it sounds fantastic."

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