Joe Cruse kept his cool in the sizzling heat at Mendip Spring to claim his first Order of Merit success in winning the Carlsberg Marstons PGA South West Championship.
And he did so in fine style. The PGA trainee from St Enodoc Golf Club, Cornwall, signed off with three birdies on the bounce to post a three-under par score of 139 for 36 holes and finish five shots clear of the field.
That earned him the £2,500 winner’s cheque and, by way of a bonus, he claimed an additional £400 for finishing as the leading PGA trainee at the Somerset venue.
Cruse had begun the second round sharing the lead on two-under with Toby Hunt, the reigning Order of Merit champion.
All of which of mirrored the situation when the 30-year-old went in to the final round of the South West Open at The Bristol Golf Club in June.
There the similarities ended, however. Having imploded at Bristol, Cruse held his nerve and, more importantly, his lead.
“I learned a lot from that experience and managed to keep it together this time,” he said.
“The firm fairways and even firmer greens made it very challenging, scoring was difficult, and I had to think my way round the course.
“To finish the way I did with three birdies and put the result beyond doubt was very pleasing, especially as it meant I was under-par in both rounds. This is the biggest win of my career to date and I’m obviously delighted.”
That Cruse (above) was the only member of the field to finish under-par is testament to the excellence of his game and the challenging conditions presented by the baked fairways and glass-like greens.
The best of the rest, Ryan Pope and Jamie Clare, finished on two-over while Hunt the overnight co-leader was two shots further back.
Pope, however, remains in contention to win the Order of Merit as does Matt Moseley who finished sixth. Nevertheless, catching James Ruth, the leader, will be a tall order.
With one event still to play – the combined PGA Southern Open Championship in Hampshire - Ruth is well clear of his two challengers although his lead is not quite unassailable.
Meanwhile Wessex Golf Centre’s Michael Watson (above) followed up his impressive performance in the Senior Open at Gleneagles by finishing as the leading senior at Mendip Spring and winning that event for the second year running.
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