Housden hopes for more Stoke-by-Nayland success - 03/04/2007

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CRAIG Housden is confident of recording his best finish of the campaign as the PGA EuroPro Tour moves to his home county - Essex.

Housden, 24, is one of 166 top young golfers from across Britain, Ireland and Spain competing in event seven of the season at the Stoke-by-Nayland Golf Club in Leavenheath.

He turned professional in April after finishing second in a qualifying competition at Stoke-by-Nayland and is hoping he can repeat his success there this week.

"I've played the course a few times and it's quite local to me so I'm going to have a little bit of support from people at my club - Channels (Little Waltham)," said Housden (pictured above). "Hopefully I can get off to a decent start and I'm as confident as I can be considering my form hasn't been brilliant.

"But I get good vibes from Stoke-by-Nayland and if you've got a good feeling on a golf course then that can help a lot.

"Ever since I started playing golf I would watch it on the television and knew that was what I wanted to do. In April I felt the time was right for me to turn professional and if I was going to do it then it was now or never.

"I'm trying to learn from the other professionals but I'm really enjoying it and there's a good atmosphere on the tour.

"The standard of play is very good and you have about 160 competitors each week and all of them can play really well."

Housden, who lives in Braintree, started playing golf aged 12 and his dedication to the sport saw him representing Essex within four years.

Since turning professional in April, his best performance has been a finish of equal 23rd at Collingtree Park, Northampton last month. He is currently 81st in the Order of Merit but that can quickly change as the winner of this event will pocket £10,000 out of a total prize fund of £40,000.

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Each player will play a round on each of the opening two days and the leading 50 players plus ties will then advance into the final round on Thursday. All the action will be filmed and shown in a two-hour highlights package on Sky Sports in two weeks.

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Clacton's Jason Levermore and Justin Brown, who represents the Halstead-based Gosfield Lake club, both also compete on the PGA EuroPro Tour and will be playing at Stoke-by-Nayland.

There will be further local interest as former European Tour player Paul Curry, a member of the Colne Valley club in Earls Colne and winner of this event for the last two seasons, has been given a sponsor's invite into the competition.

Elsewhere, seven out of the top eight players on the 2007 Order of Merit are taking part in this tournament.

Anyone wishing to watch the event can do so for free and play will start at about 7.30am every day.

Date posted: June 26, 2007