WORTHING Golf Club's Jack Bartlett made it third time lucky on Sunday when he won the Sussex Amateur Championship at Littlehampton.
Bartlett, 19, runner-up in 2006 and last year, was delighted to finally triumph in the competition after he overcame fellow Worthing player, Scott Nightingale, 3&1 in the final.
The teenager, who attends Nova South Eastern University in Fort Laud
erdale, in America, said: "I've played in the Championship five times before and after coming close to winning it, it's a great relief to finally do so.
"Three years ago, I lost the final to Scott. It was looking like I was going to win but he holed a 30ft putt on the final hole, meaning we both birdied it, and then I lost on the 19th."
Bartlett beat James Sharp, Joe Doherty and Tom Coulson before, in Sunday's final, he went one-up on the ninth hole, after halving the first eight. He then putted into a lead of two on the 11th hole, after his tee shot dropped just two inches from the hole.
Nightingale then pulled a hole back, but Bartlett birdied the 17th to capture the trophy.
Nightingale had beaten Stuart Barber, Peter Tarver-Jones, and Darren Renwick on route to the final.
Bartlett said: "When I sank that putt, it was a feeling of real disbelief, as I really didn't want to lose another final.
"My semi-final match against Tom Coulson was also a great, close, game. It went all the way to the 22nd hole after we both finished five under, after the initial 18.
"It has been a really successful week – I made it to the last 16 of the British Amateur Championships, as well as finishing fourth in the qualifying. And, I've now lowered my handicap to plus three."
The competition started with two qualifying rounds, where Bartlett shot 66 and 69 to qualify in third place, before the matchplay rounds.
It was double glory for Bartlett as he and the Worthing team of Nightingale and Tarver-Jones also won the team event for the third year in a row, with a total gross score of 405, 15-under par.
Bartlett said: "We knew we had won after the qualifying rounds, and it was a great feeling to beat Littlehampton by so much on their own course."
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