WOODS KEEPS RUSSIAN TITLE IN ENGLISH HANDS
 Chris
Wood(pictured left - photo courtesy of Tom Ward) from Gloucestershire
won the Russian Open Amateur Championship at Le Meridien Moscow
Country Club, succeeding fellow Englishman Seve Benson, who
won the title last year.
Wood carded a closing 72 for 285, three under par, to take
the title by a massive seven strokes from Russia’s Androv
Pavlov while the other English players filled three of the
next five places.
Dale Whitnell from Essex was third on seven-over-par 295,
Hampshire’s Sam Hutsby joint fourth a shot further back,
while Matthew Baldwin returned 297 for sixth spot.
Nineteen-year-old Wood, a member of the England ‘A’
squad, who finished joint winner with international David
Horsey in the West of England Stroke Play in April, fired
an opening 70 which left him a shot ahead of 18 year old Hutsby
and two clear of Whitnell.
Wood added another 70 in round two which saw him sharing
the lead on four under with Whitnell, also 19, who returned
a superb four-under par 68 with six birdies
Scores were higher on day three with only Pavlov of the front-runners
shooting under par, his 70 hoisting him into second spot,
two shots behind Wood, who added a 73. Whitnell fell back
with 77 while Hutsby came more into the picture with 75 after
a second day 81.
Although Wood had a birdie-three on the third in the final
round to increase his lead, bogeys at the fourth and fifth
proved a sobering thought. But Pavlov was also slipping back
and when Wood grabbed his second birdie of the round at the
tenth, the contest was as good as over.
Although Whitnell dropped back with 78, the Essex lad managed
to cling on to third place while Hutsby maintained his improvement
with 69 and Baldwin closed with 70.
A year ago when England sent players to the Russian Amateur
or the first time, Benson edged out England colleague Matt
Cryer by a shot with Luke Collins joint fourth.
Leading final scores:
285 C Wood (Long Ashton) 70 70 73 72
292 A Pavlov (Russia) 73 72 70 77
295 D Whitnell (Five Lakes) 72 68 77 78
296 S Hutsby (Liphook) 71 81 75 69, D Vinogradov (Russia)
75 77 71 73
Other score:
297 M Baldwin (Royal Birkdale) 74 74 79 70
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