LIPHOOK Golf Club member James Cawkell saw off 10,000 golfers to be crowned Srixon Amateur Champion, justifying his decision to cut short a holiday to Portugal to play in the grand final at Rockliffe Hall.

Cawkell joined 21 other amateurs and their club professionals, at the stunning County Durham venue to contest the final and pipped John Berry from Brampton Golf Club on countback after shooting 33 stableford points.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to have won,” said Cawkell. “I really thought I’d blown it as I failed to score on the final hole, so to hear my name read out was amazing. It was tough out there, the wind was blowing and the rain coming and going.”

The Srixon Amateur Championship is staged in conjunction with the TGI Golf Partnership retail services group. Qualifying events were held across the UK and Ireland, with Srixon supplying prizes for first, second and third places.

Ian Mowbray, Cawkell’s PGA professional at Liphook, said: “I said to him before we played that if he scored 36 points he’d have a good chance of winning, but when he didn’t score on the last I really thought he’d blown it.”

There was some consolation for runner-up Berry who won the team event with professional Phil Waugh, after shooting a combined score of 67 points.