DEAN Pickard rounded off a remarkable week when he became Nelson's youngest club champion last night.

Less than seven days after winning the ELGA Junior Championship at Rishton, the 16-year-old beat Craig Fort by two holes to secure the title.

Pickard was three up with three to play but Fort, himself a former ELGA junior winner, won the 16th and 17th to put the pressure on his young opponent.

However Pickard, who has also made strides on the regional and national scene in the past week, held his nerve to win the final hole and the Nelson championship.

Nick Uttley, who held the ELGA junior title 20 years ago, was Pickard's semi-final victim on Tuesday.

And experience looked to be winning the day as Uttley, who won the old boys' championship in 1984, stormed into a two-hole lead. But Pickard pulled it back to level then on the 15th chipped in to take the lead and hold out for a 3&2 victory.

Pickard earned his place in the senior championship on Saturday when he won the prestigious Wilkinson Trophy at Nelson, scoring a net 138 over two rounds and beating James Jennings on a card play-off.

He then made a cracking start to his title assault on Monday when he beat Ian Short 5&4 to secure the match against Uttley.

But a series of recent successes elsewhere have also put Pickard in confident mood for the Junior Open at St Andrew's next week.

He didn't have to play any golf to get into the Open, which guarantees him at least two rounds on Sunday and Monday, as places are handed out by a selection committee.

His handicap of four, which has since dropped to three, was enough to give him his place after the junior organiser at his home club of Nelson, Tony Drake, applied on his behalf.

"Juniors play on their own course day in day out but they need to prove they are as good as their handicap and enter a big competition," said Tony.

"So we got an entry form for the Junior Open and we sent it off. It's selective and you have to be a certain handicap to get a place.

"I always thought there was a possibility Dean would get in, at the time he was off four and the limit is round about six.

"There are 160 lads off four handicap and below so it's a hell of a field but if Dean plays to his handicap and in the form he has been doing, he has a chance."

Dean won his regional final of the Weetabix Championship at Owley Hall in Leeds on Monday, hitting a 74 gross to win by one shot.

This secured him a place in the national final at the Forest of Arden on August 17 and 18.