Barnes holds his nerve to win first tour event - 04/03/2007

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DEAN Barnes has won his first ever PGA EuroPro Tour event in dramatic fashion.

After three rounds of the 2007 Motocaddy Championship, Barnes (Ferndown GC, Dorset) and Eddie Vernon (Burton-on-Trent) were tied on nine-under at Ufford Park, Suffolk.

That meant a play-off as both competitors replayed the 18th hole and Barnes held his nerve by sinking a 12-foot putt to claim a birdie, while Vernon could only register a par.

So Barnes (pictured above) claimed the £10,000 top prize, a result that catapults him up from 69th in the 2007 Order of Merit to eighth in the rankings.

He has been a regular on the tour for the last three seasons and this is his third top 20 finish of the year after also performing well in the Irish events at Roganstown and Faithlegg in May.

Doncaster-based Graeme Clark, who had already won three events this season, was aiming to become the first player in the PGA EuroPro Tour's six-year history to win four tour competitions in one year.

Rounds of 64 and 67 had left him on nine-under at the start of Friday's play with a two-shot advantage over Russell Claydon (Gog Magog, Cambridgeshire), Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill, Middlesex) and Eddie Vernon.

However, Clark's hopes of another victory ended when he hit a double bogey on the ninth and then dropped further shots on the last two holes as he ended in tied fifth.

Lee Gauthier (Bearwood Lakes) and Russell Claydon finished equal third, while Welshman Rhys Davies, who represents Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup next month, was the leading amateur in level 18th.

Six of the top ten in the Order of Merit list qualified for the final day and each pound earned could prove crucial as the top five players will qualify for 2008 Challenge Tour cards.

There was also a further incentive for the other competitors as the leading 60 players after two more events will qualify for the end of season Tour Championships.

The 13th out of the 14 regular 2007 events is the Ethos Recycling Classic, which takes place at the Stonebridge Golf Club, Meriden, Warwickshire, from September 5 to September 7.

Date posted: August 31, 2007