Herne Bay’s Steve Tiley missed a 20-foot putt by just two inches for victory on the last hole – and then lost out in a four-man sudden death play-off for 36 holes at the two-day British Par 3 Championship at Nailcote Hall Golf Club in Coventry.
Tiley, a specialist short-game coach at North Foreland Golf Club, won the event in 2018 when he was a European Tour pro. Other former winners include Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood and 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie.
Herne Bay’s Steve Tiley – missed out on Par Three glory by the narrowest of margins
The 1991 US Masters champion Ian Woosnam, Lawrie and former US Open winner Michael Campbell were all in a field of 50 professionals and Tiley shot a four-under-par 50 to trail Welshman David Parks by one after the first round.
He then scored level-par in the second round to tie with Parks, Scotsman Fraser Man and Leicester’s Matt Cort, who scored an eight-under-par 46 in round two to make the play-offs and then birdied the first extra hole to take the title.
The event doubles up as a celebrity pro-am and Tiley plays every year with close friend Keith Deller, who claimed the World Darts Championship in 1983.
Tiley, who left the European Tour in 2022 to begin coaching, said: “It was bitter-sweet, really.
“Obviously, I wanted to win but it wasn’t like the days when I was relying on the prize money to pay the bills.
“I’m pleased because my golf is still competitive, even though I don’t play any more.
“I did practise for it but only about 60 balls a day; when I was on the tour, I used to hit 700 a day.”
Deller said: “The Par 3 is a great event with former Major champions and European Tour pros.
“Well done to my good friend Steven Tiley, he played really well only to lose in the play-offs, but showed why he’s a former Par 3 champion.”