Paul Kinnear produced three stellar rounds of golf to claim the 2025 Coca-Cola PGA Assistants’ Championship at Brocket Hall, finishing with a commanding 11-under (208) total to take home the £5,000 top prize and a year’s supply of Coca-Cola products.
The Hurlston Hall Golf Club Assistant showcased a complete skillset on the par-73 Palmerston Course, opening with back-to-back under-par rounds before carding a steady level-par 73 to secure victory by a two-shot margin.
Speaking after his trophy presentation, Kinnear said: “It feels great. Normally when I play tournament golf I feel quite stressed and get in my own way a little bit. This week I made a promise to myself to not worry about things so much. I played well last week and brought that into this week.”
Kinnear opened his week with an impressive five-under 68 that left the leaderboard tightly packed at the top. Sitting just one shot off the lead, he surged away in the second round with a blemish-free 67. Carding four birdies in his opening nine holes, followed by two more at 15 and 17, Kinnear opened a four-shot cushion heading into the final day.
Persistent rain swept over the Hertfordshire venue, making scoring noticeably more difficult - but Kinnear held firm. An opening nine-hole score of 34 included birdies on 3 and 6 which gave him what looked to be an unassailable lead. But his third birdie of the day on 14 was quickly followed by errors on 15 and 16, which threatened to derail his momentum as he approached the 17th tee.
“It just feels good to get it over the line,” he said.
“I played great the first two days and for 13 holes in the final round. It just got to a point in the last four or five holes where I started thinking about it a little bit, but I think that’s normal.”
In professional fashion, Kinnear closed out the win with a par on 17 and a bogey on 18 to post a final round level-par 73. The Englishman adds to a growing résumé that already features his Leeds Cup triumph in 2024.
“I checked the scores after 17 and I knew I had a three-shot lead going down the last so that was quite comforting. But trying to get the ball in the hole was tough – but we finally did it.”
Asked about the Brocket Hall layout, Kinnear, a member of Formby Hall, said: “It [Brocket Hall] really suits my game. You just have to make sure you nudge it in play off the tee and the greens were quite soft which meant my approach play was pretty good.
“If you’re not losing a ball off the tee, you can find the greens and putt well, that’s a good combination.”
Ben Edward Quinny of Wham Golf made a valiant push with a trio of under-par rounds, finishing in solo second at -9. Despite a strong final-day charge, Quinny couldn't quite close the gap that Kinnear had carved after 36-holes.
Ollie White claimed solo third with a total of 8-under, whilst George Wright and Scotland’s Kyle McKinnon claimed fourth and fifth spot with 5 and 4-under totals respectively.
To see the full leaderboard, click here.
To see a selection of images from the Coca-Cola PGA Assistants' Championship, click here.
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