A one-under-par 70 over the famed Moortown course in Leeds was enough to give David Thwaites, from Brookdale Golf Club near Oldham, his first victory as a professional.
The 27-year-old came out on top of a field of 97 north-east professionals bidding to qualify for the final of the Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship, the flagship event for Britain and Ireland's club professionals.
Said David, who lives in Ashton-under-Lyne "I could have tried to qualify at West Lancs next week but because the final's being played at Moortown at the end of July, it made sense to try and get another round in there."
And, in perfect conditions, how it paid off - but not before a depressing start. Two opening bogeys were hardly the stuff of champions, but "that fairly woke me up", and the second-year pro then birdied the next, the seventh and ninth, chipping in from 30 feet over an intervening bunker, for an outward 35.
Two gains and two losses evened out the back nine, on which he played an assured eight iron 167 yards at the 425-yard final hole which looked from his position to have gone into the hole for an eagle. However, the ball nestled three feet behind the flag, and allowed him an easy final birdie.
Mike Ure has scarcely competed over the last two years because of a busy pro's shop at Billingham but he turned in a tidy card. The 45-year-old pro cruised round steadily in a one-over 72 to qualify easily, in a tie for second place.
"I didn't hit any spectacular shots", said Mike, "But just kept it in play. My only really bad hole was the short fourth, where I missed the green, found a horrible lie and only just managed to get the ball on the green. Then of course, it was three putts, wasn't it?"
Three birdies almost balanced his card, the last of them a fine five-iron at the short 17th landing 15 feet away.
Matfen Hall's John Harrison comfortably qualified, also tied second, carding a one-over 72, comprising two bogeys and a birdie in halves of 36.
The leading 20 players now return to Leeds, playing for a top prize of £10,000 plus the use of a top-of-the-range Peugeot car for a year.
A play-off among six players for the four remaining qualifying spots was eventually resolved 12 ½ hours after the first three-ball set off at 7.50am.