Fourball finals bring top 10 finishes but county's hopefuls fall well short
There were top 10 finishes for Derbyshire's golfers in the national finals of the Fourball PGA Championship at Forest Pines in Lincolnshire.
But neither pair could match the efforts of West Midlands rookies Edward Martin and Andrew Jones, who finished clear of the field with a 27-under-par total for their three rounds.
Kedleston Park's Paul Wesselingh was among the pre-tournament favourites for the prestigious final as he linked up with PGA Cup partner Jeremy Robinson of Twyford.
They were well placed at eight under after a first round 65 on Wednesday but lost ground to Martin and Jones, who shot a 62 on day two.
Wesselingh and Robinson started strongly with birdies at the third, fifth, eighth and 10th but lost their way, bogeys at 14 and 18 being split by a solitary birdie for a 70.
The third round started with a birdie at the first and an eagle three at the third to set up the chance of a big push but it never came.
Although there were no dropped shots on their card, there were only three more birdies for a round of 67 and an overall score of 17 under for the tournament.
Expectations were not as high for East Midlands Golf Academy colleagues James Whatley and Steve Astle.
Whatley has had a good season on the tour but Astle arrived short of competitive golf and making the cut at the end of the second round was considered an achievement in a high quality field.
They managed that comfortably with rounds of 69 and 68 - a steady opening day being followed by a more erratic second that included an eagle, six birdies and three bogeys.
The third day started with a disappointing bogey five at the first but there was only one more dropped shot in their round among nine birdies for a fine 66 and a 16-under-par total.
Wesselingh and Robinson took a share of seventh place with one other pair, while Whatley and Astle were close behind in equal ninth, as Martin and Jones took the £5,000 first prize.
