As I write this, the 888poker.com PGA Europro Tour season is in full swing and the most recent event was the Your Golf Travel Classic played at the delightful Bovey Castle in Devon.

The stellar field at the Your Golf Travel classic included current Order of Merit co-leaders Dan Seymour and Michael LeMesurier who hoped to build on their early season successes as well as last year’s Order of Merit winner, Chris Hanson.

While these three names would have been high up on the list of favourites for the title it was Tyrell Hatton who eventually came out on top after he carded a final round 67 to beat his closest challengers by three shots.

Hatton – from Harleyford Golf Club and managed by John Fay from the Georgia Group – began the final day of the Your Golf Travel Classic three shots behind leader Stuart Manley from Machynys Peninsula in Wales but during tough conditions he capitalised as one of only a handful of golfers to score below par for his final round.

Birdies at 16 and 17 made things comfortable down the last for Hatton whose closest challengers were the overnight leader Stuart Manley and   one of the pre-tournament favourites Martin LeMesurier.

Manley began the Final Round with a one-shot lead but four bogeys on the front nine was less than an ideal start and he eventually signed for a 73.

LeMesurier, winner at Lingfield Park three weeks ago, started the day 11 under par and at one stage he held a four-shot lead but four bogeys over the last 10 holes left him to sign for a disappointing 72.

Mark Laskey from Brocket Hall was the only other player to finish in the top 10 who carded a sub-par score on the final day of the tournament. He carded 68, the second lowest round of the day, to finish fourth on eight under par, four shots back from Hatton.

Having been victorious at Qualifying School in April this was Hatton’s first win on the Tour proper and afterwards he admitted he knew he needed a good final round if he was to be victorious.

“At the start of the day I knew I needed to shoot a good number to catch the leaders,” he said. “They had been playing very well in the first two rounds so I assumed they would go well again. But you can only control what your own ball does so I just went out there to try my best and see what would happen.

“There was a point about halfway through my round when I saw the scoreboard outside the clubhouse and realised that Martin [LeMesurier] had a four-shot lead. If I’m honest I thought I was playing for second place at that point. There was a large group of us between seven and nine under so I had to knuckle down for second place.

“A big turning point for me was at the 12th where I holed a good ten-foot putt for birdie to tie level for the lead. Then at 13 slightly pulled my tee shot. It hit the right side of the tree but kicked 20 yards left into an upslope with bushes around.

“I felt a bit unlucky there but chipped out onto the fairway and got up and down from 111yards, so making par there kept me going.”

In all 156 competitors battled it out over 54 holes on the stunning parkland course at Bovey Castle in a bid to win the Your Golf Travel Classic and our congratulations go to Tyrell Hatton; a deserving champion and proud winner of the 2012 Your Golf Travel Classic.

Click here for collated scores for the Your Golf Travel Classic.

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