Swanston Golf Club pro wins through to next round in Lombard Trophy

Swanston Golf Club tee up shot at Gleneagles glory

A dream final at the 2014 Ryder Cup venue Gleneagles is up for grabs for amateur Gary Inglis and his Swanston Golf Club PGA professional Bobby Rushford in Europe’s biggest pro-am competition – The Lombard Trophy.

Inglis teed up a chance to tread the fairways of the PGA Centenary course at the famous Scottish resort between September 3-4 when he won his club qualifying competition with a net score of 61.

He and Rushford now advance to the regional final at Crieff on Monday 8 July, where they will play one round of better-ball medal play with the chance to secure one of 16 spots available for the 36-hole grand final.

Lombard, the asset finance provider and sponsor of the trophy, added their congratulations. A spokesman said:-“Well done on a great achievement. This is a highly prestigious event which provides a tremendous opportunity for those taking part. We are delighted to be associated with it.”

The tournament attracts more than 50,000 competitors from across Great Britain and Ireland and is now its 29th competitive year, marking a welcome return as title sponsor for Lombard who originally sponsored the tournament from 1995 to 2006.

The PGA National Pro-Am Championship has a total prize fund of £80,000, with the winning professional at the grand final taking home a cheque for £12,000. Gary Inglis lives in Edinburgh. He has been playing golf for seven years and plays off a handicap of eight. His interests apart from golf include football.

Bobby Rushford, 25, has been a professional at Swanston Golf Club for 14 months. He was a bronze medalist at the 2006 Scottish Amateur Championship.

Last year’s winners were PGA professional Lee Rooke and amateur Nick Jones from the Vale of Llangollen.