It’s not every day that you hear about one of West Bradford’s golfers being a past World Champion, but we most certainly do with our very own ‘super senior’ Eric Reucroft.

Whilst the USA Team 🇺🇸 were victorious on home soil in the recent Ryder Cup, it was certainly not the case some 15 years ago when our Eric won the Reb Bull Final 5 International Final at the famed Pinehurst Resort course in North Carolina, which is the scheduled venue for the 2024 US Open.

Eric, who recently joined WBGC from Hanging Heaton was a member at South Leeds at the time when he qualified along with 60 competitors for the all expenses paid trip of a lifetime from a list of thousands of hopeful golfers.

Played over three days on the challenging No 8, delightful No 4 and world famous No 2 courses, scoring was on a simple stableford aggregate basis with double points for each of the final five holes in each round. Sixty other golfers from Britain, Germany and Ireland played in the final.

Eric, who was 60 at the time, held on in a thrilling finish on the 18th green of Pinehurst No 2, venue of Michael Campbell's 2005 US Open success, when his South Leeds clubmate David Smith failed to get up and down from beyond the green.

RED BULL FINAL 5 INTERNATIONAL FINAL(at Pinehurst Golf resort, North Carolina)): 136 pts - E Reucroft (South Leeds); 135 - C Miller (Widnes). 132 - D Smith (South Leeds). Other scores: 115 - I Blake (The Island); 100 - D Whelan (Killeen); 92 - P Smith (Glasson); 90 - M Clements (Dungannon); 79 - L O'Mara (Seafield).

As reigning champion, Eric was invited back to defend his trophy the following year, but could only manage 2nd place and thereby ended his free trips to America!

However, just to show that there’s life in the old dog yet as Eric now aged 75 was highlighted as he recently defeated long standing fellow senior John Durkin in the 2021 Seniors Knock Out Cup Final to win his first WBGC trophy in his first year at the club.