Stinchcombe pair chase Lombard joy (From Gazette Series)

Stinchcombe pair chase Lombard joy

A GOLF trip of a lifetime awaits amateur Jason Creed and Stinchcombe Hill Golf Club PGA professional Paul Bushell if they can come through the next stage of Europe's biggest pro-am competition, the Lombard Trophy.

Last year, the event passed the milestone of one million rounds of competition golf played since it was launched in 1995 by the PGA and leading finance company Lombard.

Dursley man Creed took his first big step towards a luxury five-day trip to one of Europe's leading courses, San Lorenzo in Portugal, when he won the club qualifying competition on April 2 with a nett score of 64.

Creed and Bushell now advance to the regional final on May 17 at Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club, where they will play one round of better-ball medal play.

The winning professional in the regional final receives £475, and there are valuable prizes for the top amateurs.

The winners of 16 regional finals throughout Great Britain and Ireland will enjoy an expenses paid luxury trip to compete in the Grand Final in Portugal from September 14 - 18.

Sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland, the Lombard Trophy is now in its 11th year and has an overall prize fund of nearly £80,000, with the winning professional at the Grand Final taking home a cheque for £10,000.

It would seem that the dream is most definitely on for the local pair. Creed, a 36-year-old engineer from Dursley, where he lives with his wife and son, has been playing golf for eight years and plays off a handicap of 10. His hobbies, apart from golf, include cycling and he is a keen sportsman.

Bushell, 41, has been a professional at Stinchcombe Hill Golf Club for nine years and is a highly respected local golfer.

This year's Lombard Trophy tournament is expected to receive entries from more than 100,000 club golfers from all over Great Britain and Ireland.

Last year's winners were the Yorkshire club, Ganton, represented by PGA professional Gary Brown and 18-year-old amateur partner Michael Adamson.