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Name: Ian Barker
Age: 48
Handicap: 1
Caddy: Andrew Inglis
Score: 34
Occupation: Works at PGA Head Quarters.
History: 1st time in the TT.

Congratulations Ian! You've beaten over 100 players to be crowned the Champion of Surrey - tell us what's running through your head at this moment?
Elated!…it was a great build up. What really steered me on was seeing the leader board at the back of the 9^th

What really steered me on was seeing the leader board at the back of the 9^th

What made you enter the TT?
Working at the PGA one of our board members is John O’leary who’s son Marc O’leary works for the TT, after much discussion I was encouraged to have a go!

Why did you choose to enter at Foxhills?
I was originally going to play at the Oxfordshire, but unfortunately I couldn’t make that day, I had a look at the line up and decided on Foxhills, its about 5 minutes from my house and work. I hadn’t played at Foxhills in about 15 years. I didn’t manage to get a practice round in, but I had a great caddy!

 

I hadn’t played at Foxhills in about 15 years. I didn’t manage to get a practice round in, but I had a great caddy!

Tell us about your day. How did you feel you played?
I played nice and consistently, I only had one blob which was on the par 3, 8^th hole. I didn’t hit a bad shoot but it just went through the green and ended up in a ditch, so i didn’t get many points on that hole. I was very pleased the way I played the back 9. I birdied the 10^th and the 12^th and having seen the leader board and knowing I was effectively 3 over with my plus 9 and to get 2 birdies earlier on, I knew it was putting me in with a good chance.

Where is your cup now?
It is pride of place on the table in our living room, with a couple of other awards which I have picked up over the years. It’s got its home already!

 

How did you cope with the cameras?
That was probably the newest experience to me, especially in the play offs. Working at the European Tour I’m quite close and know a little bit about how TV golf is put together. I didn’t find them off putting at all it was an incentive in a way. The shots which I was about to play were being recorded and that was a very different feeling.

 

 

 

 

What are your thoughts on the final?

Well I defiantly will have a practice round with my caddie for the final! It’s a place I have played a few times, much more often than Foxhills. The Buck's is a long course and im not a very long hitter. Its going to be very very exciting, I’m looking forward to it.

 

What would winning the William Hunt Trilby Tour Championship mean to you?
Well I think it’s going to be the feeling of Foxhills, but magnified! I think there is going to be a lot of good players there. Wining it will be like lightening striking twice. It’s a handicap competition and its how you play on the day.

 

 

 

 

How did you get into golf?
I started playing golf from about 11 years old, my farther is a very keen player who played regularly, he is going to be 74 this year and is still playing 3-4 times a week. He doesn’t actually know I won, all I told him is that I had 34 points and had a good day which was good enough to get me into the final. I’m just going to tell him to watch it on Sky Sports when it is on, so he can get the excitement by not knowing the end result.

 

Wining the final would be like lightening striking twice.

How did you find the clothing?
The clothing was very comfortable. I liked both items the trousers were super for playing in and the shirt too. It was a hot day and I had chosen a dark colour, I was thinking that I could get very hot but it helped me stay cool throughout my round.

What has been your greatest achievement so far?
Well having mentioned my dad earlier, we played in a tournament called the Westhill farther and son, we have been lucky enough to win that together for the last two years and that’s a field of 128 players, all fathers and sons. To be honest I’m actually older than most of the fathers on the day and that is one of the great joys of it.

 

Describe yourself in a sentence?
I would say….friendly, quiet, sociable, hardworking and good with numbers and computers.

What's your motto in life?
You can’t go wrong with the truth!

 

Who is your golf hero?
Seve Ballesteros

 

Last words for William Hunt?
The concept is terrific, I have played in an awful lot of corporate days and a few pro-ams and from a participant point of view the Trilby Tour tops both of those formats comfortably. It really is a unique and special experience to play in and I cannot wait for the final!

It really was a unique and very special experience to play in and I cannot wait for the final.

 

To view the full results of the day click here