Thame Pro, Hinton, Prevails in Challenging Conditions

Oxfordshire’s Craig Hinton held his nerve to beat the elements and 85 rivals as Dummer Golf Club in Hampshire hosted the second stop on the 2015 Jamega Pro Golf Tour.

The Thame golfer came from three shots back after the first round to shoot a tournament joint-best 66 and finish two clear of James Ruebotham and David Dixon, the winner of the first Jamega Pro Golf Tour event in 2015 at Machynys Links.

“Considering conditions, I played pretty solid golf,” Hinton, 26, said after finishing with an eight under total of 136. “I struggled around the greens with the wind but drove it really well throughout.”

Four birdies on the back nine on day two, including three in the final four holes, proved decisive. “I knew I was in with a shout midway through the round,” he added. “Leading by one on the last I hit a couple of solid shots into the green and a 15-footer downhill for birdie was enough.”

The players battled all four seasons in two days as occasional sunshine was blighted by heavy rain, strong winds and hailstones, with an electrical storm forcing play to be suspended on the second afternoon, resulting in a remarkable effort from ground staff to make the flooded course playable again.

“I was on the sixth hole when play was halted for about 90 minutes,” Hinton said. “The wind then died down a little and the rain softened the course to make putting easier.”

Hinton, who turned professional in 2013, now has a busy season ahead mixing the Jamega Pro Golf Tour with the PGA EuroPro Tour and playing the qualifying school for the European Tour before heading east to try and qualify for the Asian Tour where he performed last year. “I’m particularly looking forward to trying to qualify for The Open at St Andrews too," he added. "I haven’t done that for a while.”

At Dummer, Ruebotham used the experience gained from a decade as a professional to forge into the lead alongside Jamie Abbott after opening 67s. Abbott’s card included an impressive three eagles, but the Fynn Valley Golf Club in Suffolk professional slipped to a 73 on day two to finish tied for sixth.

One of the five joining Abbott on a four under par total of 140 was Billy Hemstock, after the Teignmouth golfer set the early pace in the second round with a 66. Dixon,  a silver medal winner as leading amateur at The Open in 2001, matched that score, but so too did Hinton, with a confident finishing streak securing victory.

The Jamega Pro Golf Tour now heads for Mentmore Golf and Country Club in Buckinghamshire on May 11-12.

For more information visit www.jamegatour.co.uk