Hamilton golfers were narrowly pipped to the pro:fantastic golf title.

Dec 17 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

A PAIR of Accies supporters reached the grand final of the inaugural pro:fantastic Golf Challenge in Portugal.

But William and Barry Hillis lost out to eventual winners, Newcastle supporters Wayne Feeney and Neal Cavanagh.

William, who plays off a handicap of 10, and his grandson Barry, who has a handicap of two, scored 42 Stableford points at the Nick Faldo Championship Course at Oceanico Amendoeira, Portugal, but that wasn’t enough and they finished in 14th spot, 25 points adrift of the Toon duo.

The unique golf event, which was founded in Quarter, gives football fans the chance to battle it out in their team’s colours and to play alongside their heroes in the final, which is televised on Sky Sports.

Fourteen pairs of fans, representing Arsenal, Bolton Wanderers, Celtic, Chelsea, Hamilton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Motherwell, Newcastle United, Rangers, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United qualified for the grand final at the Portuguese resort.

The Arsenal pair finished second and the Liverpool pair took third place.

Each of the teams was led by a legend from the club’s past, including Hamilton’s Chris Hillcoat, Teddy Sheringham, Mark Falco, John Aldridge and Frank McAvennie.

The separate ‘legend’ event was won by Spurs Mark Falco, with former Accies captain and manager Hillcoat second and ex-England and Spurs striker Sheringham third.

Falco also won the longest drive prize, while former Rangers striker Ian Ferguson took the nearest-the-pin prize.

The tournament will be broadcast early next year on Sky Sports, with weekly shows going out during January, February and March.

Places are available for the 2010 competition but are limited to 25 per team.

Players will be given an opportunity to play golf with several football celebrities and places cost just £75 plus VAT.

To sign up for your team or for more information, telephone 01698 429429 or visit www.profantasticgolf.com.