ROBIN Mann of the Felixstowe Golf Range went to the West Region to qualify for the Glenmuir Club Professionals' Championship at Royal Porthcawl, the venue for the main event which starts today.

By Tony Garnett

ROBIN Mann of the Felixstowe Golf Range went to the West Region to qualify for the Glenmuir Club Professionals' Championship at Royal Porthcawl, the venue for the main event which starts today.

Mann won the event in 1985 and wants to turn the clock back at the age of 52.

The reigning Suffolk PGA strokeplay champion said: “I was playing like a muppet at the PGA Senior Club Professionals' Championship but still won £1000 by coming 13th. I've buckled down. I have hit 6000 practice balls in the last couple of weeks trying to, as we say, keep the ball clean - that is keep it out of trouble during a round.”

There is a field of 156 professionals of which the top 50 and ties after two rounds will stay for the final two rounds.

The holder is Paul Wesselingh of Kedleston Park but there is a large East Region challenge that includes Keith Preston of Aldeburgh and Tim Cooper of Newton Green neither of whom have been regulars in recent order of merit events. Even so they beat many of the leading players in the region in the qualifier at Bishop's Stortford.

The East Region will also look to players like Mark Stokes, Steve Cipa and Andrew Clapp to finish well up the leader board. The eventual winner gains exemption to next year's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.