Ryan Dix gains first win on G&S circuit

Dix teamed up with Filton Golf Club assistant Tom Duke to shoot a score of 64 which was only matched at the top of the leaderboard by Filton Golf Club Pro Daryl Kelley and his partner Giuseppe Licata from the Bristol Golf Centre.

Just a shot back with a score of 65 was Tom Motley, who heads up the team at South Cerney Golf Club, and Ross Langdon.

The Channel Course at Burnham was bathed in winter sunshine but a cool wind was blowing, making the links course a true test for the 14 pairs who made the journey to the North Somerset coast. The course is a nine-hole, 18-tee affair and as usual the front nine was played in the Scramble format and the second circuit as a Better Ball.

The youthful pairing of Dix and Duke raced out of the blocks with birdies at the opening two holes played against the wind and added another birdie at the par 5 fourth hole.

Playing downwind in a scramble format should have probably seen them add to this score before they reached the turn, but the only change was negative with a dropped shot at the short eighth hole.

Heading back out, they again impressively picked up a shot at the long par 4 11th and also again at the par 5 13th but did give one back in between. They made no mistake on the downwind stretch the second time around as Dix made an eagle two at the 15th before Duke exacted revenge for the earlier bogey with a two at the 17th.

The six under par total was good enough to give them the clubhouse lead for most of the day until the final group returned. In this group were defending champions Ed Goodwin (Cirencester) and Rod Hibbitt (Cotswold Edge) who were expected to fare well as they have been in top form so far this winter, but it was their playing partners of Kelley and Licata who matched the winning score.

The G&S PGA now take a Christmas break before resuming the race for the Total Triumph Order of Merit on January 9 at Minchinhampton Old Course near Stroud.