Dwyer's bid for victory in Turkey shoot

Ashbourne's John Dwyer is targeting a unique double next weekend when he heads to Turkey in an attempt to win two national PGA titles this winter. Dwyer will team up with Ashbourne golf club captain Martin Farrell for the final of The Lombard Challenge at Antalya Golf Course from Friday where the pair will face nine other clubs from across the Ireland and the UK in the £25,000 event being staged over 36-holes at the PGA Sultan Course. Dwyer will follow that trip to Turkey with a third appearance in the PGA National Pro-Am Championship in Las Vegas in December. While enjoying great success on the fairways including winning the 2007 PGA Professional Championship and earning three PGA Cup caps for Great Britain and Ireland, Dwyer is happiest in the environment of Ashbourne GC where he has been head professional at since 1999. "I enjoy the mix of giving lessons, custom fitting and playing regularly," said the 37-year-old who didn't play his first proper round of golf until he was 15 years-old although he was a pitch and putt champion thanks to his parents owning a facility in Ashbourne. Having come second in a previous national final in 2008, Dwyer's immediate target is to go one better by lifting a title. "Making the final of both events has raised their profile within the club, all of a sudden people know more about them and it's a great boost and incentive to do well," said Dywer. "These trips are fantastic, the venues are always brilliant and it's well organised so it's great to be able to go with a club member and share that with them." Dwyer is familiar with the much-lauded PGA Sultan Course having played two of his previous national pro-am finals. "It's a fantastic course with holes 16 and 18 giving it a particularly strong finish. The 16th is a classic risk/reward par five where you can reach in two but it is intimidating because it is guarded by water while the 18th is a good hole depending on whether you are defending a lead or playing catch up," concluded the Meath man.