Wright adds to his collection of north titles
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COMPETITORS travelled from as far afield as the USA to play in the 5-Day Open at Moray Golf Club last week.
There were 120 visitors playing the course, but it was a local talent that emerged top of the 330 golfers who took part and won the scratch matchplay final.
Jeff Wright, a member at Forres and Moray golf clubs, defeated Inverness golfer Keiran MacKay in the semifinals before beating Gordon Munro from Fraserburgh in the final.
The 23-year-old Forres resident admitted he wasn’t at his best at the beginning of the competition but was happy come the end of the week.
He said: "On Monday and Tuesday in the qualifying rounds I didn’t play my best golf but I started to play better as the week went on and played really well in the final.
"I felt that it was definitely my best round of the week. I was two under par when the match finished, so I was pleased to play well with all the people that were following and watching the game."
It is the first time Wright has won the Moray 5-Day Open, he added: "It felt great to win the competition. The Moray 5-Day is one of the biggest tournaments in the north of Scotland and it is a great week.
"There are some really good players in the field so I was delighted to come out on top."
Wright got into golf at the age of eight but said it wasn’t initially his number one sport.
He explained: "I have been playing golf since I was about eight years old. I got into it through my dad as we are both very sporty and golf was one of a number of sports I played while I was growing up. I was always more interested in football though and it wasn’t until the age of 13 that I really got into golf."
Wright, who works in the pro shop at Forres Golf Club, has a good record in matchplay competitions.
He said: "I have won a couple of competitions like this before. I won the Elgin 5-Day two years in a row in 2011 and 2012 and the North District matchplay championship in 2013."
Wright is playing in the Scottish Amateur Championship at Royal Aberdeen this week and aims to turn professional in the future.
He said: "At the moment I am playing the big amateur tournaments throughout the UK. I hope to turn professional at some point but only if I get to the stage where I feel I could earn a living from playing.
"I’m looking forward to the challenge."
James Booth, from McDonald Golf Club, Ellon, won the low handicap event after beating Matthew Robertson in the final.
The high handicap event was won by Gavin Steel, of Douglas Park and Moray golf clubs, after he beat Greg Sheils in the final.
