Lee wins Slaley Hall champions event

The 24-year-old England international from Chapel Park in Newcastle was
representing the Newcastle United club in the Champions, having won their championship last season, and although he has since joined City of Newcastle, The Journal trophy will sit on the sideboard at his former club.

"I was a member at Newcastle United for eight or nine years," he said. "I enjoyed my time there and I owe them a lot."

Lee also owes his boss, the City of Newcastle professional Steve McKenna, a former Lytham Trophy winner and the ex-captain of the PGA North Region.

"One of the reasons I left United is that I am working in the club's shop for Steve at City," he said.

"Because of that I was just not getting enough of a chance to play at United anything like as much as I would have wanted and two of my pals from the County team, Phil Ridden and Nicky Maddison, play at City.

"Steve McKenna is one of the Northumberland county coaches and he has helped me re-model my swing.

"I have been working with him since October and he has made my back swing more compact. He has got me turning my body more and not using my hands too much."

The work with McKenna paid off at Slaley yesterday as Lee held his nerve through a scrappy front six holes on the Hunting Course finding his rhythm to return a one under 71, showing four birdies and three bogeys.

Slaley's Golf Operations Manager, Sam Oliver, said: "Bearing in mind Simon was playing a really tough course in early- season conditions at a time when amateur golfers are ring rusty, I would say his score was equivalent to a real score of four or five under par."

Second place went to Lee's City of Newcastle team-mate Neil Elborn, who, for a while harboured hopes of the shock result he had insisted was possible in our Teeing Off column last week.

But putts of 35ft at 14 and 30ft at 8 put paid to Lee's rivals - by comparison, Elborn three-putting from 15ft at the 17th.

Lee won the champions without paying for his golf balls, provided free for all yesterday's competitors by the tournament sponsors, Nikegolf.

Saturday brought another triumph for Lee - and Nike - in sleet and gale force winds at Tynemouth which forced the County Tournament to be reduced from 36 holes to 18, Lee shooting a two over 72.

"Winning on Saturday gave me a lot of confidence for the Champions on Sunday in knowing that all Steve McKenna's hard work on my swing was paying off. It gave me a big lift going into Slaley."

With Lee and Elborn leading the way in the Champions, Richard Aisbitt of Brancepeth Castle was third on 75, with countbacks separating Aisbitt from the fourth-placed Callum Tarren, the County Durham matchplay champion, and defending champion Sandy Twynholm, who finished fifth.

WILD CARD GROBBELAAR PRAISES TOURNAMENT

Bruce Grobbelaar never threatened the leaders on his Slaley Hall debut, but that did not stop him heaping praise on the Champions set up.

Winner Simon Lee receives the trophy from Bruce Grobbelaar

The former Liverpool goalkeeper, a member of the Oulton Hall Club in Leeds, was named by host club Slaley Hall as a wild card. He signed for a 23-over-par 95, a nightmare score for a two-handicap golfer.

But he said afterwards: "Apart from my score, I enjoyed everything about the day. I play a lot of golf all over the world and it is very rare for a regional newspaper to put on a tournament for club champions in their circulation area.

"It was very generous for De Vere to give the golf course for free - and feed all the competitors - and Slaley's relationship with Nikegolf made the prize table possible.

"How often do some of these club champions get to play on a wonderful track like the Hunting Course in a prestigious event like this with the sort of excellent leaderboard Golftext laid on?

"I think everybody whose fantastic support made the tournament possible - and the publicity given to it by The Journal - means everybody associated with it can feel proud of themselves. It was an excellent occasion."

Grobbelaar (above presenting the Champions trophy to Simon Lee) added: "It's a great course. I am only sorry I could not do it any justice. The De Vere courses are all like that. They are in the most superb settings in the world and it is a joy to play golf on them."

Grobbelaar's caddy was supplied by the host club which made for a memorable day for 13-year-old Marcus Mellor, a 22-handicap golfer who has been playing the sport for only two years but has already won eight junior competitions at Slaley.

"It was great fun," said Marcus. "Some of his jokes were great and he kept me laughing."