Farrington Junior and Writhlington Golf Academy member, Josh Hilleard, has won the individual title at the Intercollegiate Tour Regional Qualifier at Lilley Brook Golf Club in Cheltenham.
The seventeen-year-old one-handicapper from Paulton won the event with a stunning one-under-par 68 in freezing conditions to beat some of the South West's best college players. Josh, who is also the current Farrington Club Champion, is in his second year of the Writhlington Golf Academy and will leave this year with a BTEC qualification in sport and a big step forward in his golfing career.
The Intercollegiate Tour holds five regional qualifiers through the winter months, leading to a National Final for both individual and team honours. Josh's win moves him into second place in the individual order of merit, after also winning the regional qualifier at The Bristol, back in October. The top ten players from the region go through to the National Final in the Midlands in May. The closest Writhlington player to Josh in the individual order of merit is Liam Copp, also a Farrington member, who shot a creditable gross 71 at Lilley Brook to finish seventh and moves him into seventeenth in the order of merit. Writhlington Academy won the National final last year but with a third place at Lilley Brook means they will have to do something special at the final event at Farrington in April.
Men's results: Saturday Stableford, 16th March (13 holes) – Div. 1: Gary Prater 25 pts, Pierce O'Shea 25 pts, Chris Shanks 23 pts. Div. 2: Cameron Goudie 24 pts, Ian Nicholls 20 pts, John Burton 20 pts.