After finishing second in this event two years ago, Adam Runcie went one better at St Pierre Country Club, winning by one shot from Ross Earnshaw across two days where low scores were hard to come by
Abergele’s Adam Runcie was the only player not to finish over par over 36 testing holes at St Pierre – and his reward was to claim the Welsh National PGA Championship title.
Runcie’s 70 in the second round was the only sub-par score on the day with a birdie on the 16th hole proving crucial on his way to victory. It was his first win since the Eaton Pro-Am in June 2024.
“I tried really hard. I’ve not played much this year, to be honest,” said Runcie. “My goal for both days was one shot at a time. It sounds so cliché, but just one-shot processes, keep doing that to the best of my ability, and see what happens.
“I got off to a good start and I continued from there. I felt like today I hit it as well as I’ve hit it all year. I’ve not done much, but I’ve done practice. I felt today I struck it well. It wasn’t easy out there, but when I hit it as well as I did, I was giving myself chances.”
Runcie’s opening round of 74 meant he trailed Earnshaw and Matt Moseley by three shots heading into the final round. But he recovered from an early double bogey to make 15 pars, plus a birdie on the par-3 6th hole.
“I played two years ago when I finished second and lost by a shot, so it was nice to get it done this year. It’s a huge honour, with all of the names on the trophy” - Adam Runcie
Earnshaw made five birdies in the opening round, but a late double-bogey on the 17th hole meant he couldn’t hold sole possession of the lead. As for Moseley, he made three birdies and two bogeys to card one of just three under-par scores all tournament.
In the final round, Runcie was straight out of the blocks with a birdie on the 1st hole, and then a sensational eagle on the par-5 7th hole. This was followed by three consecutive bogeys, but a birdie on the 11th hole kept him in the hunt.
Moseley was steady on the front nine, turning in one-over. But his challenge faded when he made a triple-bogey seven on the 11th.
Matthew Tottey of North Wales Golf Club trailed the leaders by two shots heading into day two. But after a birdie on the 14th hole, he only managed one more on the 17th hole to finish two shots shy of the winning score.
Unfortunately for Earnshaw, his birdies on the 13th and 14th holes in the final round were offset by bogeys on the 16th and 17th hole, which ultimately led to him settling for second place.
Runcie’s decisive birdie on 16 took him to level-par, and his total of 144 was good enough for him to join the likes of Ian Woosnam, Percy Alliss, Philip Price, Craig DeFoy and Sid Mouland as previous winners of the Welsh National PGA Championship.
“It was quite rewarding to do what I did,” said Runcie. “I’m not going to say I was expecting it, but I did it well and I had complete control of my ball all day, which is a massive bonus.
“I’ve played in it twice. I played two years ago when I finished second and lost by a shot, so it was nice to get it done this year. It’s a huge honour, with all of the names on the trophy, so it feels amazing and I’m very proud of my achievement.”
To view the full scoreboard, click here.
