Fine Start To Event Three By Welshman Laskey - 19/04/2007

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WELSHMAN Mark Laskey leads the way after he registered a six-under on the opening day of the third event of the 2007 EuroPro Tour season.

Laskey, 22, who lives in Hertfordshire and is a member of Brocket Hall in Welwyn Garden City, had a fine Day One at the Faithlegg House Hotel and Golf Club in Waterford, Ireland.

This is the second successive time he has a made a bright start to a competition but he will be hoping the rest of this tournament goes better than his last.

After the first day at Roganstown in event two, Laskey, a former Welsh Youth Champion, was in tied seventh but a disastrous second round of 80 saw him finish well down the field in a disappointing equal 53rd.

But he has shown his character by responding well today to lead the field of 137 competitors. Laskey (pictured above) produced two birdies in the first three holes but then ruined his good work by hitting bogeys at five, six and seven. However, five more birdies and an eagle on the 17th completed a good round.

Laskey replaced Englishman Graeme Clark, who has finished inside the top 20 in the previous two tournaments, at the top of the leaderboard.

Clark birdied the first, second, fourth, ninth, tenth and 11th to sit at six-under after only 11 holes. He then dropped shots at the 12th and 17th but a birdie at the last left him on 67, for a five-under round.

It maintains his good form that had seen him finish in equal 12th at Wensum Valley, Norfolk and tied 18th at Roganstown, Dublin last week. Already this season he has collected more than £900 in prize money and that figure will rise substantially if he stays at the top of the leaderboard.

There is a prize fund of £45,000 for this event, with the winner collecting £12,000, a total that is the highest for any PGA EuroPro Tour competition in the regular season, apart from the end of year Tour Championships.

Elsewhere, Mark Prue (Hillside Golf Club, Southport) who came fifth at Roganstown, looked on course to make the cut again after his round of 68 left him on four-under.

He was joined on the same score by a number of players, including Joe Templer (Henley), who finished joint second last week and his round today included an eagle at the 494-yard par five third.

Date posted: May 16, 2007