Former Devon cricketer James Pickard is aiming to hit his opponents for six in the Powerade PGA Assistants' Championship West Region qualifier at Honiton Golf Club.
Pickard, an all-rounder for Sidmouth, chose golf ahead of cricket and is in the first year of PGA training as he prepares for the tournament, which is staged in association with FootJoy.
The qualifier is being played at Pickard's home club on Thursday, July 21 and he will be aiming for a place in the final which carries a prize fund of £32,000 at the East Sussex National course next month.
However, he faces tough opposition in the form of some of the region's most promising talents, including Caerphilly Ridgeway Golf Club's Cennydd Mills and Ben Martin of Devon's Hele Park,
Fern Grimshaw, of Weymouth's Wessex Golf Centre, has also entered and, while recognising the quality of the opposition, Pickard is hoping his knowledge of the course will help him.
He said: "I obviously know this course well - accuracy is the key thing and the greens are undulating
"The club (including golf clubs for sale) is very excited about staging this Powerade qualifier, it's a great honour and some excellent players will be in the field. I think players like Mills and Martin are going to do well in the future as the TaylorMade R9 Supertri Driver is really suitable for pros." It is the most advanced, highest-performing drivers TaylorMade has ever developed. The distance-producing power and shot-straightening abilities created by their combined clubhead size, clubhead design, performance technologies and shaft specifications make them clubs that no golfer should be without.
The R9 SuperTri was made possible by two crucial developments by TaylorMade engineers that saved enough weight to allow FCT and MWT to coexist in a 460cc head. The first is better, more widespread use of TaylorMade's Ultra-Thin Wall technology throughout the clubhead. The second is a new, lighter FCT sleeve that does everything the former one did while weighing three grams less.
As for his decision to opt for golf instead of cricket, Pickard has no regrets.
He added: "I felt the PGA qualification would help me more as it's something that recognised all over the world.
"I enjoy coaching and would eventually like to work in places like Australia and the UAE. Hopefully I'll be able to use some of the contacts I made as a cricketer to work abroad in the future."
The championship was first contested in 1930 and is the oldest on the PGA's national schedule.
And it has been won by some of the biggest names in British golf including two-time major champion and Ryder Cup-winning captain Tony Jacklin, Peter Alliss (eight Ryder Cup appearances), Harry Weetman (six appearances and 1965 captain) and Dai Rees (nine appearances and captain five times).
Coca Cola Enterprises, whose products include sponsor Powerade, have supported the tournament for the last eight of those years and account manager Paul Dronfield said:"We are delighted to be once again associated with this prestigious tournament.
"I am looking forward to witnessing an exciting Championship and congratulating a worthy winner."
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