New partner, same old story for Chris Cutchie. The Colchester Golf Club professional swapped one winning pal for another as he followed up his Searles PGA Spring Classic triumph with victory in the Summer Classic in north Norfolk.
Best mate Dan Eke got the Cutchie call-up for the two days at Royal Cromer and Sheringham Golf Club and the pair dovetailed superbly to win by a point.
That the deadly duo shared the lead on 41 points after the opening day’s greensomes play at Royal Cromer was thanks largely to two gross eagles.
Cutchie holed out from 80 yards on the sixth hole with a lob wedge and then his superb approach set up Eke to sink a six-footer for a three on the par-5 ninth.
Day two’s Stableford better-ball at Sheringham saw Eke – receiving two strokes – take the lead role. The Colchester GC member made a birdie on the par-4 fifth, which plays stroke index one on the card, and then birdied the last as well to seal the success.
That left he and Cutchie on a total of 81 points with Mitchell Smith (Royal Cromer) and Stephen Smith runner-up on 80 just ahead of Ben Kerr (Royal Worlington & Newmarket) and James Hewitt, who took third spot.
Cutchie said: “Dan was really good on the second day. The fact that it was him that holed the winning putt was really pleasing from my perspective. He really did up step up, so it was nice – really good to see.”
Cutchie is proving a specialist in pro-am alliance format golf, having previously this year retained his Spring Classic title alongside Phil Clarke. And not surprisingly he is a big fan of the Classics.
He said: “I love the fact that it is a serious competition played in a massively friendly atmosphere. It is so much more relaxed and it’s a fun, different format. We’re so used to playing medal, medal, medal – it’s so nice to play a different type of golf.”
Cutchie will try to complete the hat-trick in the Carlsberg Marston’s PGA Autumn Classic, staged at Felixstowe Ferry and Woodbridge on September 26-27.
CLICK HERE to view a full list of scores from the Summer Classic in north Norfolk.
