British Par 3 Championship 2019

The highly anticipated British Par 3 Championship returned last weekend to a great reception of stars and fans alike. In the beautiful and picturesque surroundings of Warwickshire, Nailcote Hall welcomed families, friends as well as golfing celebrities and pros to enjoy the wonderful sport. The prestigious 9 hole golf course provides great entertainment as it’s designed to challenge the player's tactics and techniques to the next level. The Par 3 Championship was originally hosted at the Torquay's Palace Hotel back in 1933 and has been a mainstay ever since. The historical event has seen great names such as Ted Ray, JH Taylor and Harry Vardon grace the game and this year the 86th championship was no exception with a full list of top names competing alongside the popular Celeb-am tournament.

Unfortunately, this year saw the rain taking effect causing some changes to the schedule. While the pros had a full day’s play on Thursday, heavy overnight rain, as well as showers in the morning, forced the celebrities to alter their Friday tee-off times. Ultimately the day's play was reduced from the usual 18 holes to just 9, however, this still led to great play throughout the weekend.

The British Par 3 Championship 2019 was won by Jarmo Sandelin where he made a hole in one during a dramatic final day at Nailcote Hall. Steven Tiley was the overnight leader on -5 having been crowned champion last year and being two strokes ahead of Gary Wolstenholme MBE, you would’ve put Steven as favourite to repeat the victory. In an effort to become the first player to retain the British Par 3 Championship crown, Tiley put in a consistent performance and moved away from Wolstenholme where two bogies disappointed after three consecutive birdies earlier in the day. The turning point of the day was Sandelin’s spectacular hole in one on the eighth to finish the event on -8 on the Cromwell course and take home the £50,000 prize. In the end, Tiley came close, completing one of two birdies required on the final two holes but finishing on a bogie handed victory to the Swede, becoming the first-ever non-British winner.

Other results worth mentioning include Paul Lawrie OBE who won The Open Championship in 1999 had a great final round tying with Tiley in second place with -7 and Austrian Markus Brier who made six birdies on this way to -6. Surprisingly, Sandelin didn’t record the only hole in one of the days, this feat was shared with European star Lee Slattery. The team competition was also won by Jarmo Sandelin alongside Penny Dawson with a score of -14.

The following day saw the ex-Everton and Manchester United Boss David Moyes win the final Celeb-AM at the British Par 3 Championship despite the wet weather. With a sea of stars such as boyband singers Brian McFadden, Keith Duffy, Harry Potter actors James and Oliver Phelps as well as former England cricketer Steve Harmison MBE, Moyes still managed to claim victory with a final score of -2. A birdie on the first was just enough to get him going and keep him ahead of Scottish actor Craig McGinalay who finished level on par and former Aston Villa footballer Lee Hendrie who managed +1.

Also running was the team competition which saw team Bidfood winning with a score of -11 overcoming Typhoo Par-tea who ended up on -6.

If you are interested in joining in the fun and games of the British Par 3 weekend in 2020, you can! The premier country house hotel in Warwickshire features 49 amazing bedrooms with attractive views, not just that of the golf course. Alongside the sport, we have fantastic facilities to cater to your needs from our relaxing leisure club to our fine dining experience in the Oak Room. Contact us to secure your 2020 booking today!