Brown defies the rain

Stuart Brown of Orton Meadows won the Hampstead Golf Club Invitational Pro-Am individual Stableford with 37 points.

Three birdies and two dropped shots at the 16th and 18th holes saw him overhaul early starter Matt Deal of Hendon who had been leader in the clubhouse on level par for most of the day.

There was persistent rain with the heaviest downpour in the morning.

It is a nine-hole course so the field was split into morning and afternoon groups. Brown was in the afternoon group.

He said: “I birdied the second and fourth and went three-under after 12. My first blemish was on the tough par-four 16th when I missed the green to the right and didn’t chip and putt.

“I three-putted the last which was frustrating but I had an eye on the leader board and one under did the job. The course played very well considering the rain. It is an excellent event.”

Ian Ellis of Costessey Park was third with 35 points. Paul Hetherington (Great Hadham Golf and Country Club) and Brett Taylor (Brett Taylor Golf) were tied fourth with 33 points.

Hetherington brought home the winning team with 77 points which was five-under-par. His amateur partners were Richard Kemp, Colin Potter and Gail Owen.

Runners-up were Brown, Peter Cutler, Mark Caplan and Claire Angus one point behind.

Jason Levermore (Channels) won third team prize on count back with Hampstead club captain Vince Vietro, Ivor Hall and Hazel Stuart.