Cheltenham-based businessman and golf enthusiast Nigel Newport-Black has reaffirmed his commitment to securing the game’s future by sponsoring the PGA South West region’s Spring Sprint Series.
The four-event series is contested by the region’s PGA Trainees and qualified pros aged 30 or younger – players Newport-Black believes have a key part to play in ensuring golf thrives.
“I like to support the young pros,” said Newport-Black, a member of two clubs – Cotswolds Hills and Formby. “They are the lifeblood when I’m long gone.”
Newport-Black, the managing director of Stourbridge-based Turier Scales, has been supporting golf in the region for close on two decades.
“I started off by sponsoring the annual pro-am at my club,” he recalled, “and then switched to supporting the Spring Sprint Series in 2014. Apart from a couple of years, I’ve supported it every season since then.”
In addition to his financial backing for regional golf, Newport-Black plays in events when his business commitments allow him the time.
“Ed Goodwin, the pro at Lilley Brook Golf Club, is a good friend of mine and we always try to play in the North Devon Links Festival, which is a great event,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort’s Harry Brewis dominated the opening event of this year’s Series at Minehead and West Somerset Golf Club.
Brewis, pictured above, a recently-qualified pro at the five-star facility which boasts a PGA-branded golf course, posted a five-under par round of 67 to finish five shots clear of High Post Golf Club’s Corey Sheppard, claim the £300 winner’s cheque, and set the pace in the Order of Merit.
