LEE Thompson will be hoping for a change in fortunes when he takes his chance in The Players Championship at Cumberwell Park next week.

The 46-year-old Dudsbury touring professional has been close to winning in each of the seven years since the event started.

After three fourths, he was third for the following two years and runner-up to High Post's Mark Searle 12 months ago.

But another form player Paul Hendriksen (Ivybridge) is also a course specialist.

The PGA Cup player and 2015 PGA champion is invariably the man to watch each time he appears.

He has finished in the top 10 in all but one of his 13 pro-am appearances this summer and won three times, including his past two events at Remedy Oak and Bowood.

Regional manager Robert Moss is excited about the 36-hole two-day tournament which starts on Tuesday.

He said: “Cumberwell Park is a welcoming venue of the highest quality and all our players love competing there. We expect the standard to be really high once again.”

Bath Rugby Club president Danny Sacco, the managing director of Lansdown Mazda , sponsors both the main event and the sell-out pro-am on Monday.