Hadley Wood’s Jack Frances and Highgate’s Oliver Chesterman proved a formidable pairing once again, successfully defending their title at the PGA Fourball Championship at Strathmore Golf Club.
Their victory came in dramatic fashion, edging out James Walker and Jack Malone in a tense two-hole play-off after both teams finished level following three exceptional rounds of golf.
After the second-round cut reduced the field to 26 teams, the stage was set for a high-stakes final day in Perthshire. Rising to the challenge, the East Region duo of Frances and Chesterman surged from tied-seventh to the top of the leaderboard with a blistering 12-under-par 60, bringing their total to 28-under-par.
They had opened their week with back-to-back rounds of 64, leaving them three shots off 36-hole leaders Adam Keogh and James Freeman. On the final day, a steady front nine was followed by a flurry of five birdies on the back nine.
However, they were pushed all the way by Walker (pictured) – son of PGA Master Coach Graeme Walker – and Malone who themselves had put together rounds of 63 and 64. Their charge was capped by an eagle on the 18th, one of three big birds for them in round three.
Reflecting on the win, Frances said: “It means a lot. To win it once is special, but to win it twice is even better. Maybe three times could be quite good… It’s been fantastic and Ollie has been solid all week.”
Chesterman noted: “To shoot 28-under, you’ve got to play well. Dovetailing is the way to do it, and we did it nicely this week.
“The way we’ve played the last couple of years has been: let’s put two balls in play and have a go at it. That’s all you can do really.”
“Jack hitting it down the middle and freeing me up has been the secret, I think. The amount of putts I had that were inside Jack’s, but he just knocked his in – beating me to the birdies!”
“We’ve laughed all the way round, which takes the pressure off a bit. That’s been quite good for us,” Frances added.
“The course is fantastic – from the practice round all the way to the third round, every single minute,” said Frances. “The way the course has been set up this week has been absolutely stunning. Hats off to Strathmore.”
Greg Hurley and Jack Kelly claimed solo third place with a closing 60 of their own. Despite a thrilling back nine featuring seven birdies, a costly bogey at the 11th denied them a place in the play-off.
36-hole leaders Keogh and Freeman couldn’t replicate their earlier form and slipped to a tie for sixth, alongside Sian Evans, the Women’s PGA Professional Champion, and her partner Jordan Godwin.
Click here to view the final leaderboard from Strathmore.
