A retired Army major is heading to the St James’s Place PGA National Pro-Am Championship Grand Final - after a lengthy break from the game.
Terry Stott, from Withington Golf Club, teamed up with PGA Professional Steve Marr for the qualifying event at Clitheroe Golf Club in Lancashire.
The Manchester-based pairing produced a commanding display to finish on 40 points - three clear of a three way tie for second spot.
Adam Powell and Neil Kelsall (Hartford Golf Club), JOnathan Richardson and Paul Collins (Hexham Golf Club) and Matt Richardson and Steve Buxton (Romanby Golf & Country Club) all ended on 37 points.
Marr and Stott will now play in the £34,000 final to be held on the PGA Sultan course at Antalya Golf Club, on November 29-30.
Stott, aged 66, says a place in the final shows what can be achieved by amateurs who have not played in a while.
“I must have taken a break from golf for maybe 16 or 18 years while I was in the army,” said the 19-handicapper.
“But I started playing again when the lockdown was lifted. My handicap has come down since then and it just goes to show what can still be done, even if you haven’t played in a while.
“I retired from the Army about six years ago, but when I started playing golf again, what you had before is still there, it’s just a matter of finding it again.
“So to get to a final in Turkey is fantastic and I feel it is an achievement. I was in good hands with Steve - and it was great to see a smile on his face at the end.
“But once I saw him complete a birdie at the 18th hole I knew we stood a chance.”
But Stott says the Turkey event will be even more competitive.
“I was still recovering from the Clitheroe event a few days afterwards,” he said.
“You don’t realise the concentration levels needed when you’re playing with the pros. They’ll be even higher in Turkey, so I’ll need to work on that.”
Terry admitted to some nerves at the start, but he took some heart from the fact that even some of the professionals did not always get it right.
“A couple of them went out of bounds at the first tee, which meant it wasn’t as intimidating for the amateurs, I managed to avoid doing that, and I was fine after that,” he added.
