BENSON SHOWS THE SEVE TOUCH TO STORM THROUGH
It’s doubtful if his famous namesake could have done
any better as Seve Benson stormed into the third round of
the English Amateur Championship at gale-lashed Burnham and
Berrow yesterday.
Benson, recent winner of the Russian Amateur, was in immaculate
form against Matthew Baldwin in the first match of round two
and despite the conditions romped to a 7 and 6 success.
“I thought it was pretty windy during the Amateur Championship
at Royal St George’s but this probably tops it,”
said the 19 year old from Surrey. “It was so tough,
even to hole two footers. It just didn’t let up.”
The locals described it as a typical Burnham day. Visitors
were more colourful with their descriptions after finding
it difficult to keep their feet let alone play golf.
Benson set the tone when he fired driver and three iron to
ten feet into the teeth of the gale at the first for a winning
par and he was three-up through four holes. Although he lost
the fifth to a bogey, Benson didn’t really put a foot
wrong and he wrapped up his victory with a half in bogeys
at the 12th.
Benson will now meet Steven Capper, who put out Simon Bright
by 3 and 1, while Ross McGowan, who put out Chris McDonnell
by 3 and 2, will tackle John Parry, 5 and 4 winner over Mark
Searle.
The fourth seed to exit the championship was Ed Richardson,
who was two-up through 12 holes but lost on the final green
to Jake Amos, while Jamie Moul stared defeat in the face when
he was two down with three to play. But the England international
from Suffolk won the final three holes to edge past Yorkshire's
Steve Uzzell.
Oliver Fisher was another to tame the blasts heading in off
the Bristol Channel and never looked in trouble as he blew
away Charlie O’Brien from Woburn by 4 and 3 in their
first round tie.
The 17 year old from Essex, who reached the semi-finals a
year ago, said he felt comfortable but added: “It was
so windy at the start and often difficult to feel where the
wind was coming from. You had to hit really good shots.”
But while Fisher set about his preparations for round two,
fellow international and seed, Lawrence Dodd was heading home
to Suffolk after losing to local hope Ed Butler at the 19th.
Dodd was two-up with five to play but 26-year-old Butler from
Bath won the 14th and 18th, both with pars, to force extra
holes but only needed one as he got home with a bogey-five
as Dodd three-putted for a six.
“It was incredibly difficult but still fun,”
said Butler. It hasn’t been this windy here for some
time but I know this course well and I’ve already won
here this year.”
Steven Lewton, another seed, was cruising at three-up through
12 holes against Chris Corry from Sandy Lodge but was given
a fight over the home stretch before easing through on the
final green.
“I was comfortably up through nine holes but then I
made it into a tough match,” said Lewton.
However, Adam Gee, beaten finalist in the Amateur Championship
didn’t make the same mistake, romping to a 5 and 4 victory
over Billy Hemstock from Devon.
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