Publican Pub Golf Tournament: Corner Post reigns in Spain

After 13 years of trying the Corner Post pub team from Coventry finally made it to the final of The Publican Pub Golf Tournament.​

And not content with simply enjoying two days of golf on the glorious sun kissed courses in La Manga, Spain, the team went on to claim top spot in the Fuller's London Pride sponsored competition as well.

The final, held earlier this month, marked the culmination of a golfing journey involving more than 3,000 licensees and customers representing pubs across the country.

Teams played in a total of 45 tournaments before the final three emerged victorious and jetted off to the world renowned La Manga resort.

The other teams joining the Corner Post were DJs Nightclub from Leigh in Lancashire, representing the North and Scotland region and the Ghyllgrove Club, from Basildon in Essex, representing the South.

Reaching the final itself is considered by many to be the top prize. La Manga has been voted the top golf resort in Europe three times in the last four years and the players were keen to make the most of the weekend.

After day one and 18 holes there was little between the teams but after the 36 holes has been completed it became clear that the Corner Post had dealt with the hot conditions and testing courses better than the rest.

Team captain Mark Sephton has been trying to reach La Manga for 13 years was eager to get his hands on the winning trophy.

He said: "To me just getting to the regional final is a great achievement but to come to La Manga and win is really special.

"We will be back next year to try and defend our title and I will enter for as long as I can because it is such a well run event.

"It is great for the pub as well because we all drink there and everyone has been asking about how we have been getting on."

And not only did Mark, who has been a regular at the Corner Post for years, lead his team to victory but he also picked up an individual prize for scoring the most points in golf's Stableford system over the two days with 66.

He added: "I have had a great time. I had not been playing well up to this point and the other lads had been carrying me so it was good to play well over the two days."
All standards

The tournament is designed for all standards of golfers with a maximum handicap of 24 for men and 30 for women. Teams are comprised of four players with each member's points tally going towards a final team score.

The tournament begins with area heats, with the top 12 teams qualifying for area finals.

The area finals' three winning teams go onto a two-day regional final - played on some of the UK's top courses - with the winners of each region going head-to-head in La Manga for the title.

Mark Roberts, brands manager for event sponsors Fuller's said: "The grand final in La Manga is a fantastic way to conclude the event.

"Whilst the golf is still of the highest standard, the players certainly feel that just having the opportunity to play on these excellent courses is prize enough, making for a relaxed environment and a very enjoyable few days."

He added: "We are delighted that London Pride, the UK's leading premium ale, continues to sponsor the pub industry's leading golf tournament.

"This is an excellent opportunity for us to reinforce our reputation as the beer of golf, across the UK and among thousands of customers."

And the two teams who just fell short this year are keen to try again in 2010.

Jason Denton, South captain, said: "We have been looked after fantastically well and had a great trip. Once you get a taste of it you want to come back again."

And Tommy Murray of the North team said: "We have been trying to get this far for five years and will be entering even more teams next year.

"We play to win but we love going away and just enjoying the trip as well. It has been a wonderful experience."

• For more information about the event and details on how to enter next year visit www.a-t-c.co.uk​