A birdie-par-eagle start to his final round set up a thrilling victory for 18-year-old Adam Charlton in the Durham Stroke Play Championship at Durham City yesterday.
Adam, who is believed to be the youngest ever winner of the 72-hole competition, catapulted himself into the joint lead at the 420-yard third, where he holed out from 128 yards.
The shot, which put him level with playing partner Gavin Nesbit (Boldon), was witnessed by Adam’s mum Sarah, who just happened to be standing by the green.
However the player himself, together with caddy/dad Charlie, had no idea the ball had gone in. They couldn’t see the bottom of the flag and because of the muted reaction from those around the green, Adam assumed it was still above ground.
“I got one clap from someone else,” said the former Durham Boys captain. “As we walked to the green we couldn’t see it so I asked my mum if she had. She just said: ‘Oh, it’s gone in’. She never shows any emotion and I was like… ’hey mum!”
The soon-to-be St Andrews student and golf team member – Adam is doing a degree in biochemistry and will be part of the university’s famed 600 Club Scholarship programme – would bogey seven but then landed another huge psychological blow on nine.
With his playing partners facing 8/10-footers for birdie – Jack Ainscough (The Wynyard) was the third member of the group – the Ramside player sunk one from 40 feet and then watched as both his opponents missed.
Further birdies followed at 11 and 12 to put himself four clear of the chasing pack, which would be covered by just one shot in the final reckoning. Two players finished two back on four under and four more were just one further adrift.
In the morning, Adam lost his overnight, three-shot halfway lead in double-quick time.
“It took me hours to get to sleep because I was thinking about shots and stuff and I can’t describe how bad it was at the start of the third round,” he added.
A duck-hook on the first tee led to a bogey and he went out of bounds at the fourth. Walking off the eighth he was six over for his round and then found more trouble off the tee.
However he pitched to 15 feet before sinking the par putt and Adam believes that was the biggest moment of the competition.
“If I don’t hole that I just think the gap could have got too big and I was able to play the back nine in one under. There are more chances on the back nine and I was able to stay in contention.”
He birdied the par five 11th and the par three 15th before bogeying the last to complete 54 holes three behind Nesbit and two back of Ainscough.
In the first two rounds the Ramside teenager recorded a pair of 67s and reached 33 of the 36 greens in regulation, laying the platform for his first men’s county win.