JASON LEADS EAST CHALLENGE

Jason Levermore underlined his class in the PGA’s East Region when he posted a five-under 67 on Wednesday (May 25) at Panshanger, Welwyn Garden City, in the regional qualifier for the Powerade British Assistants’ Championship.

The 25-year-old Clacton trainee now leads nine other qualifiers from the region to the 54-hole final at The London Club, near Brands Hatch, in mid-August.

"It would be nice to win this one", said Jason. "I’ve been waiting to win it for the last two or three years, and I’m running out of time (he becomes ineligible on finishing his PGA training this year). "I also fancy the winner’s perks to Florida and Australia (for the USPGA Assistants’ Championship in October and the Toomeys Futures Championship at Newcastle, New South Wales the following month)."

Six birdies, marred only slightly by a solitary bogey at the 460-yard 10th ("I just lost concentration hitting a nine-iron into the green"), bolstered his confidence for the season ahead, one that includes a start in the BMW Championship at Wentworth at the end of the month as a reward for winning the region’s Order of Merit last year.

Sharing second place two strokes behind were Simon Fitton from Thorpe Wood (Peterborough) and Daniel Barton (Fynn Valley, Ipswich). Daniel, who finished with a fine birdie on the 482-yard 18th, has one golfing claim to fame – he won the same junior tournament, in 1997, that Nick Faldo had won more than 20 years previously, the John O’Gaunt Junior Open. Qualifiers:
67 – J Levermore (Clacton-0n-Sea)
69 – D Barton (Fynn Valley), S Fitton (Thorpe Wood)
70 – P Rains (Belfairs Park), E Morton (Effective Golf)
71 – L Clarke (West Middlesex)
72 – D Heard (Chingford Golf Range), J Hartley (Letchworth), W Clarke (Brookmans
Park), M Hooper (unattached)