THERE'S a new name on the Vardon Trophy after Breightmet's Sean Owen clinched his first Bury and District Golf Association men's championship.
The 19-year-old beat Rossendale's Ashley Siddle four and two in the final at Breightmet on Wednesday night -- and it was a case of third time lucky for Sean.
"It's the third time I have entered the competiton," said Sean, who lives in Harwood and works in the golf shop at Bolton's Old Links course.
"I reached the quarter-finals once before, but this is still a bit of a surprise.
"I had a struggle in the first round on Sunday, but from the second round on I played really well.
"I had three hard matches. In the quarter-finals and semi-final I was playing against two mates of mine, Steve Hare and Paul Smethurst, who I know well.
"Then, in the final I was up against Ashley, who is a great player, but I was on my game.
"It was an advantage playing on my own track, but I would say it was my birdie putt on the eighth that won it for me.
"I holed a putt from around 20 foot after losing the previous hole. I really needed that because Ashley was just a couple of feet away. It was a big putt."
Sean has played for the Bolton Association this year and will now be playing for the Bury and District team after his success.
Although still an amateur, Sean has aspirations of becoming a PGA assistant professional, something he hopes to achieve over the next two years after taking teaching and playing examinations.
He already has the necessary handicap, playing off two. "I actually play off 1.5, but I have just gone back up to two," said Sean. "Hopefully, I will get it back down again, but, unfortunately, this win doesn't affect my handicap."
Sean's next big competition is his own club championship, in which he hopes to take a step further after reaching the semi-finals in 1998, the last time he played in the event.
Bury's closest challenger was Matt Thornton, of Lowes Park, who went out three and one to Siddle in the semi-final after beating one of the hot favourites, Breightmet's Rob Brown, four and three in the quarter-final.
RESULTS: Qualifying scores: Warren Laverty (Breightmet) 73-73-146; Ashley Siddle (Rossendale) 77-73-150; Rob Brown (Breightmet) 75-76-151; Steve Hare (Breightmet) 76-76-152; Sean Owen (Breightmet) 82-71-153; Mathew Thornton (Lowes Park) 78-75-153; Christopher Ainsworth (Breightmet) 76-77-153; Paul Smethurst (Harwood) 79-75-154.
Quarter-finals: Smethurst beat Laverty two up; Siddle beat Ainsworth three and two; Thornton beat Brown four and three; Owen beat Hare five and four.
Semi-final: Owen beat Smethurst two and one; Siddle beat Thornton three and one.
Final: Owen beat Siddle four and two.
36-hole Nett prizewinner: Joe Donnelly (Harwood) 155-10-145. Best 18-hole Gross prizewinner: Paul Jolley (Pike Fold) 71.
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