Kane gets teenage kicks after sealing Gleneagles spot

Teenager Kane Mayes booked a trip to Gleneagles after stepping in as a replacement for Fynn Valley Golf Club in The Lombard Trophy qualifier at King’s Lynn.

Mayes (pictured left) partnered PGA Professional Chris Smith to win in a tense finish by just one shot.

They recorded a nine-under-par round of 63 to pip Midlanders Cameron Clark and Lee Clarke, from Sutton Coldfield’s Moor Hall Golf Club.

Behind them, four teams tied for third place with seven-under-par rounds of 65.

The Suffolk pairing will now play in the £43,600 grand final which will be held at Gleneagles in Scotland - the venue for next year’s Ryder Cup - on September 3-4.

But 18-year-old Mayes, from Ipswich, admitted that he only took part because the player who qualified from the club competition could not make the event.

Mayes said: “I came second in the qualifier at Fynn Valley, and stepped in when the original winner couldn’t be here.

“I know Chris quite well as I work in the club shop, so it all worked out.”

Now Mayes, who has just left college with qualifications in sports fitness, has his eyes set on Gleneagles.

He said: “That’s going to be fantastic. To beat a big field like this and be going to Gleneagles is really special.”

Mayes, who plays off four, birdied the first hole but admitted that the pressure was on as they knew what was needed if they were to win at the Norfolk venue.

He added: “We could see teams finishing on seven-under, and we were five-under at the time.

“But we birdied the 10th, 11th and 13th to get to eight-under pretty rapidly and another birdie at the 17th proved to be the crucial one.”

Smith, 26, qualified for the final at his first attempt.

He said: “We honestly cannot wait to get to Gleneagles.

“Kane played really well, he’s a good golfer and he never looked back after making a birdie at the first hole.

“But we knew we had to get to nine-under - or even 10-under - to stand any chance of winning.”