Manchester City cult hero Andy Morrison put former boss Kenny Dalglish in the shade as he romped to a memorable victory in the 20th edition of the Footballers' Golf Classic at the world-famous La Manga Club in Spain.

Morrison left Dalglish, who signed the former defender from Plymouth when he was manager of Blackburn in 1993, and the rest of the field trailing in his wake as he cruised to the title under sunny skies at the multi award-winning resort in Murcia, south-east Spain.

The five-handicapper, who also played for Blackpool and Huddersfield during his career, made the most of perfect conditions at La Manga Club to lead from start to finish in the 54-hole Stableford event to clinch victory with 110 points, seven clear of Dalglish, with ex-Birmingham and Wales defender Andy Legg one point further back in third.

After scoring 38 points in the first round to lead by one from former Southampton defender Jason Dodd, Morrison then took control of the competition – which was played off three-quarter handicaps – on the second day by scoring 42 points on the resort's North Course with a two-under-par gross round of 69.

Playing off seven, Dalglish was seeking a record fourth win in the event and was the only player able to follow Morrison's scoring heroics as he returned the same gross total for his second round to move into second place, seven points off the lead, going into the final day.

But the Liverpool, Celtic and Scotland legend was unable to repeat his tally of 43 in the last round on La Manga Club's famed South Course, only matching Morrison's score of 30 points as the leader completed a runaway victory, with Legg producing a late surge to move into third place.

Sold out more than nine months in advance, the landmark 20th edition of the Footballers' Golf Classic attracted a stellar field from the footballing world including previous two-time winners, former Aston Villa and Scotland striker turned Sky Sports commentator Alan McInally and ex-Millwall and Wales striker Steve Lovell, chasing his third victory in the last six years.

Defending champion Kenny Hibbitt, Pat Jennings, Russell Osman and Fraser McLachlan were also aiming for more glory, while the likes of former Arsenal, Juventus and Republic of Ireland star Liam Brady and ex-England internationals Darius Vassell, Mark Wright, Ray Clemence, Dave Beasant and Kevin Davies – making his debut – also featured.

The golf classic featured four days of competitive golf: the one-day Alan Ball Trophy and the three-day main event – which was personally sponsored by John Griffin, former chairman of previous sponsors Addison Lee and who has played in the event every year – with competitors playing alongside a different footballer each day.

Entry included five nights in the five-star Hotel La Manga Club Principe Felipe, breakfast, welcome and gala dinners and prize-giving with entertainment.

There was a popular result in the overall team competition as The Property Boys, whose team consisted of Tony Curtis, John Balague and Clifford Harvey, finally claimed top honours after finishing second three times in previous years, while they also won the Alan Ball Trophy.

The luxurious setting of La Manga Club is the ideal venue for the competition with its three championship golf courses perfectly complemented by the rest of the resort's wide-ranging facilities, including a 28-court tennis centre and 2,000sqm spa complex.

The Footballers' Golf Classic is organised by Mancini Events and the event will head back to the award-winning venue again next year. For further information, please visit www.mancinievents.co.uk, call 07918 644900 or email donna@mancinievents.co.uk.

For more details on La Manga Club and to book, please visit www.lamangaclub.com.

ENDS

Information for journalists

Press release written and distributed on behalf of La Manga Club by the Azalea Group.

La Manga Club
La Manga Club – www.lamangaclub.com – is an unrivalled sports and leisure paradise which sits between the low hills that separate the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor Sea, just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante.

Set out over an area of some 560 hectares (approx. 1,400 acres), it enjoys a mild year-round Mediterranean climate and offers visitors a prestigious five-star hotel, luxury vacation apartments and extensive sports facilities, including three championship golf courses, a new Leadbetter Golf Academy – the only one in mainland Spain – a 28-court tennis centre and eight grass sports pitches. The resort is also home to innumerable leisure facilities, such as the 2,000m2 Spa La Manga Club with its 13 luxurious treatment rooms, comprehensive fitness centre and 25m indoor swimming pool; meeting, banqueting and incentive facilities, and more than 20 restaurants and bars.

As well as hosting both Davis and Fed Cup tennis matches, La Manga Club has signed a long-term deal to be the overseas training resort of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) until 2019. It has also staged the Spanish Open golf championship and regularly attracts professional and international football teams to the first-class year-round training facilities which are also used by rugby and cricket sides.

As a result of more than 40 years of continued investment, innovation and commitment to excellence, La Manga Club is widely recognised as Spain's flagship resort and as one of the finest sports and lifestyle destinations in the world. Evidence of this is provided by its numerous awards and accolades.

La Manga Club was the proud recipient of a 2013 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel website, for the facilities and service on offer at its five-star Hotel Principe Felipe. The resort has been voted 'Best Golf Hotel/Resort in Spain' by UK readers of Today's Golfer magazine for the last five years and was named 'Best Golf Hotel in Spain' at the 2014 and 2015 World Golf Awards. La Manga Club has long been a staunch supporter of women's golf, being the official overseas resort partner of the English Women's Golf Association for three years as well as hosting the Ladies European Tour (LET) Qualifying School from 2009-12. La Manga Club is also the venue for the Ladies Murcia Open, an LET Access Series event, and regularly hosts top women's amateur events and teams.

• High-resolution images of La Manga Club may be downloaded for editorial purposes from https://goo.gl/oi837y 

For more information on La Manga Club contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com