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**truebluefan** · 05-26-2008, 03:40 AM

Vale Hotel Golf and Spa Resort, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:45 PM

European Tour champions Stephen Dodd and Phillip Price will be the main focus of attention when the pair tee up on home soil at this week’s SWALEC Wales Challenge on the European Challenge Tour.

The duo, who between them have laid claim to six European Tour titles, have opted out of the Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship in favour of teeing up in their home country at the Vale Hotel Golf and Spa Resort in Cardiff.

Dodd is hoping his return to the Challenge Tour, where he has won twice in the past, will provide a timely confidence boost after struggling to rediscover the form which saw him lift the 2005 WGC – Algarve World Cup in Portugal in partnership with his compatriot Bradley Dredge.

He said: “I was born in Cardiff, so it really will be like a return to my roots for me. I’ve played the course a few times so I know it reasonably well. It’ll just be good to give something back to golf in Wales, because I am a proud Welshman. I just hope I can do myself justice, because I haven’t been playing particularly well this season.

“Hopefully I’ll find some form this week and get a confidence boost for the rest of the season. It won’t be easy though, because there are some very good golfers on the Challenge Tour.”

Compatriot Price, a star of the victorious European Ryder Cup Team at The Belfry in 2002, was a regular performer on the Challenge Tour in the early 1990s and since then he has won three times on The European Tour.

Other home contenders include David Park, also a winner on The European Tour, and Craig Williams, who won the Ryder Cup Wales Challenge in 2003 after a four man sudden death play-off.

Williams is one of three former winners in the field, with France’s Olivier David and Ireland’s Colm Moriarty completing the set. Twelve months ago, Moriarty held off the challenge of Chile’s Felipe Aguilar – who has subsequently progressed to, and indeed won on, The European Tour – to record his maiden Challenge Tour victory.

Other notable names in pursuit of the €140,000 prize fund include current Challenge Tour Number One David Horsey of England, who arrives in Wales fresh from his maiden Open Championship appearance at Royal Birkdale last week where he finished in a tie for 67th place.

Another player who will tee up at the 7,266 yards par 72 course on the back of a good run of recent results is Spain’s Rafael Cabrera Bello, who returns to Challenge Tour duty after claiming his second title at the Credit Suisse Challenge two weeks ago.

The SWALEC Wales Challenge is being staged as part of The Ryder Cup Wales Summer of Golf, a series of tournaments organised across the country to promote golf and celebrate Wales as the host nation of The Ryder Cup in 2010.

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:46 PM

Joint leaders Matthew Cort of England and Sweden’s Björn Pettersson, who picked up two shots in his last three holes, were the only men to break 70 on day one of the SWALEC Wales Challenge.

The testing course at Vale Hotel Golf and Spa Resort in Cardiff, Wales, claimed numerous victims, with only 18 players under par, but Pettersson made a late surge to join Cort at the top of the leaderboard on three under par.

Usually renowned for his big hitting, Pettersson credited his round of 69 to a change of putter.

The Swede, who holed a wedge from 60 yards for an eagle three on the fourth hole, said: “It was definitely my day on the greens today – I holed quite a few long putts. I started using a broomstick putter about a year ago and went back to it yesterday, and today he was my friend. So I’ll be keeping him in the bag for a while longer now.”

Pettersson is a relative newcomer to the Challenge Tour, but Cort has the experience of a season on The European Tour on which to call.

Last season the Englishman competed on the Europro Tour, having lost his European Tour playing privileges, but he has now targeted a return to the elite level after a steady improvement in recent results.

Cort said: “It’s been a see saw couple of years, and I’ve had to really rebuild my career. It was like going back six or seven years, trying to find somewhere to play every week. But I had to go back in order to move forward. My confidence took a bit of a knock, but hopefully I’m on my way back now.”

The pair are one shot clear of a trio of Englishmen – Marcus Higley, David Horsey and John Mellor – as well as Spain’s Carlos del Moral and Sweden’s Joel Sjoholm.

Mellor’s up and down day included a seven and an eagle two, whilst Sjoholm posted five birdies in his round of 70. Higley’s round also featured a seven, but the Englishman rallied with consecutive birdies on his last two holes.

Higley's compatriot Horsey, meanwhile, arrived in Wales fresh from his maiden Open Championship appearance at Royal Birkdale last week, when collected a cheque for €12,389 after finishing in a tie with ISM stablemate and compatriot Lee Westwood in 67th place.

Horsey, who this week could become the first man to graduate straight onto The European Tour with three Challenge Tour victories, said: “I played really well on the first two days last week and put myself right into contention, but maybe I got a bit ahead of myself over the weekend instead of just keeping things on an even keel.

“I really enjoyed myself though, and I’m desperate to play again next year, because I learnt a lot from the experience. On the third day I played with Zach Johnson, who’s won a Major tournament, and it was a real confidence boost to know I could hold my own in that sort of company.”

Horsey’s round of 70 was matched by del Moral, who recently turned to a psychologist for help after missing seven consecutive cuts.

The Spaniard, who was room-mates with America’s Anthony Kim during their time together at Oklahoma State University, recovered from a double bogey at the first hole and an outward nine of 37 to join Horsey on two under par.

He said: “I’ve been doing a lot of work with my coach on my swing, and also with a psychologist to improve my concentration levels. It seems to be paying off, because I’ve finished third and 11th in my last two tournaments. My confidence is growing all the time, and today it showed. My season really starts here.”

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:47 PM

A bogey-free round of 70 saw England’s John Mellor grab the lead on day two of the SWALEC Wales Challenge.

Mellor, who as a youngster was on Sheffield Wednesday’s books before the golf bug bit and forced him to turn his back on a career in football, posted two birdies on his front nine to move to four under par, one shot clear of Sweden’s Joel Sjoholm and Scotland’s Greig Hutcheon.

The 38 year old – who offered golfing advice to a young Lee Westwood when he was assistant at Worksop Golf Club – has seen his career blighted by chest and thyroid problems.

But he has now targeted an eighth full season on The European Tour, saying: “My only Challenge Tour win came ten years ago, so it’d be good to get another one on the board! But it’s nice just to be up near the top of the leaderboard again, because it’s been a while. I’m injury-free now, and if I keep playing well, another season on The European Tour isn’t out of the question.”

Mellor is one clear of globetrotting Swede Sjoholm, who took the unusual step of travelling to Cardiff via Moscow. At the start of the week the Chilean-born Swede – who enjoyed a hugely successful amateur career whilst at Georgia State University – arrived in Moscow for the Inteco RussianOpen Golf Championship on The European Tour, only to catch the next flight back two hours later after learning he had received an invitation to play at the SWALEC Wales Challenge.

Sjoholm, who is playing his maiden season on the Challenge Tour, explained: “Because I haven’t got a Challenge Tour category, I’m relying on invitations. So I figured either I’d have to win in Russia to get a card on The European Tour, or finish in the top ten in Wales to qualify for next week’s Challenge Tour event – and that was obviously more likely. So it’s taken a while to get here – but so far, so good!”

Sjoholm’s round of 71 moved him to three under par, one shot clear of home favourite Rhys Davies, who equalled the course record and move himself into striking distance in a tie for fourth.

Davies’ 67, the joint lowest of the day, was made all the more remarkable by the fact that he opened his round with a double bogey at the first hole. But the youngster swiftly rallied with three consecutive birdies, and reeled off a further four to finish on two under par.

Davies, who enjoyed a prosperous amateur career before turning professional at the end of last year, said: “I hit a lot of good shots – I just misread the yardage on the first hole – so I have to be very happy with how I played. It’s only my fourth Challenge Tour event, and I’m really enjoying it so far.

“I’m now starting to realise what it takes to get to the top, because it’s a big step up from amateur golf – there’s such strength in depth. My progress since turning pro has been steady rather than spectacular, but I’m playing fairly consistently and my confidence is growing all the time. I’m just waiting for something big to happen now – whether that happens this week or next, who knows?

“I’ve got some friends and family watching me this week, so it’d be nice to finish high up on the leaderboard. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I suppose I’ve got nothing to lose really. I’m just going to go out there over the weekend, play my golf, and see where it takes me.”

Davies was joined on two under par by South Africa’s Doug McGuigan, whose round of 67 featured an eagle and five birdies.