GRIEVING David Horsey flew back to Manchester from Cork this morning where he had joined his family following the death his grandmother Rose Hammond at the weekend.

But instead of pulling out of the Oceanico Group Pro-am Challenge, which started at Marriott Worsley Park today, he decided to try to win it for her.

"We were very close and it's not really hit me yet," said the 22-year-old rookie professional from Styal. "But I'm determined to go out there and dedicate all my efforts to her memory. I'm sure she would have wanted me to play," he said, agreeing with Nick Dougherty's decision to return quickly to the fray after his mum, Ennis, died last month.

Horsey, who joined the paid ranks immediately after playing for Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup last summer, also knows that competing on home territory is a big incentive to try to hoist himself into the PGA Challenge Tour Order of Merit top 20 which is the short cut to the main circuit.

He is lying 25th but will double his season's earnings of 13,000e if he wins on Sunday night and catches the main contenders.

But he admitted: "My game's been a bit scrappy so far but I feel it's getting nearer to where I want it. I have just to put it all together and I should be up and running."

It's not as though he's been struggling this season, having finished fifth in one tournament and twice making an impact on the main tour where he plays as an invitee, but accepts he's still on a learning curve.

"The Challenge Tour is tough because there are a lot of guys out there fighting for their livelihoods," added Horsey who was due out at 1.40 this afternoon with Andrew Coltart and Gary Emerson..

"Some have been there for years and can't get off it, but I'm not planning to be one of them."

Encouraged this week by a big contingent of Styal members, he has consigned his 54th in the DHL Wroclaw Open on Sunday to the back of his mind.

Gary Clark, however, will be aiming to continue to tap into a rich vein of form after breaking his Challenge Tour duck in Poland.

The 37-year-old Londoner, with the first prize cheque of 24,000e safely tucked in his back pocket and sitting third in the rankings, aims to capitalise on his new-found self-belief. "I am in Manchester in good spirits and we'll see where that takes me," he said.

"Having waited 13 years for my first win, I don't want to wait another 13 for my next one. Hopefully I can carry that form with me through the rest of the season," he said.

The last two rounds of the tournament, for which the MEN is media partner, sees local amateurs and juniors tee up alongside the professionals.

There is no charge for spectators and there's free parking.