Golf - Edwards hopes for Glenmuir launchpad to PGA Cup team (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Golf - Edwards hopes for Glenmuir launchpad to PGA Cup team

11:41am Thursday 28th April 2011 in Sport

WINDERMERE Golf Club professional Simon Edwards has an eye on making the Great Britain and Ireland PGA team with a good showing in the Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship.

Edwards, a former Glenmuir champion, will be among those gunning for a place in the £78,000 final at the North of England qualifying event at Southport’s Hesketh Course on Friday, May 6.

Reigning Welsh National PGA champion Edwards missedo ut on last year’s final with a knee injury, but has another incentive for doing well with this year’s Great Britain and Ireland PGA Cup team being decided at the Belfry final from June 14-17.

Edwards said: “Not only do I want to qualify and make it to the grand final, I would love one more crack at the PGA Cup.”

“I played in it in 2003 and 2005 - when we won it - and if I could team up this time with my best mate David Shacklady then that would be great.”

Shacklady, a PGA teaching professional at Mossock Hall, is virtually assured of a place on the GB&I team having finished runner up to David Mortimer in a play-off last year.

“I’d love to play the PGA Cup again before I get too old and have to hang my clubs up. So there is that added incentive this year and hopefully I can build on last year,” added Edwards.

“I had a ball last year and some good results. But I honestly think I have one more big one left in me and it might as well be the Glenmuir - I’ve won it before and I’d like to think I can win it again. There’s no greater honour at this level.

“My main aim at Hesketh is to qualify, which I did last year only to pull out of the final with a knee injury.

“But I always bounce back and I can see myself going on until I’m 103 this rate!

“Hesketh suits me down to the ground; it’s a thinking man’s golf course. It’s a links course and not the sort of place where you can just belt the ball. It used to be a good course, now with the changes that have been made, it’s a great course.”

The Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship is one of the highlights of the PGA’s national tournament schedule with around 650 pros competing in eight qualifiers to land one of the 156 final spots.