Yorkshire grit sees duo home

Yorkshire duo Adrian Ambler and Aran Wainwright made it a case of third time successful at Forest Pines to win the Skins PGA Fourball Championship.

Runners up in 2009 and joint eighth last year, the pair fulfilled Wainwright's battle cry after posting a seven-under-par opening round of 66 to leave them a stroke adrift of the leaders.

"Now, unlike last year, we've got to keep it going over the next two days," said Wainwright, the head PGA professional at Mid Yorkshire Golf Club, Pontefract.

Thirty-six holes later and Wainwright and Ambler had followed up a second round of 64 with another 66 and the gap between first and second remained one stroke.

This time, though, it was in their favour and they claimed the £5,000 winner's cheque.

And just as that narrow victory margin suggests, it was a close run thing as the runner's up, Leicestershire pair Matthew Cort (Rothley Park) and Craig Shave (Whetstone), pushed them all the way in the final round.

Both pairs made blistering starts, trading birdies to maintain the two-stroke difference that existed at the start.

At the halfway stage, though, a sextet of birdies from Yorkshire's 'A' team and five from Leicestershire's finest meant the former's advantage had increased to three strokes.

But just as there had been a glut of birdies on the outward nine, there was a relative famine on the return as a strengthening wind began to have an influence.

That is until the 15th, 16th, and 17th holes where Cort and Shave turned up the heat with successive birdies to trim the deficit to one.

They failed to maintain the pressure, however, by posting a bogey at the last. Which was just as well as Wainwright and Ambler followed suit, not that the latter was worried.

"I was aware of what they'd done, so I knew what we had to do and wasn't too concerned," said Ambler, the PGA professional at Low Laithes Golf Club, Wakefield, who is enjoying a golden autumn.

Victory at the Lincolnshire course for the 41-year-old follows him winning the PGA North Region last month and he attributes his success to his laid back demeanour at the last hole.

"I'm a lot more relaxed on the course these days," he explained. "If I hit a bad shot I don't beat myself up about it. And if I hit a good one, I enjoy it but don't get carried away."

Wainwright, however, was more upbeat about the form of the man he has partnered for the past 15 years.

"All credit to him," he said. "He's playing fantastically well at the moment and I'm just delighted to hang on to his coat tails."