Dean coasts to English Amateur crown

Yorkshire’s Joe Dean saw his ball skip out of the hole to deny him a hole-in-one, but still managed to claim the English amateur championship with seven holes to spare.

The 21-year-old’s seven-iron shot to the 29th hole, the par three 11th at Alwoodley, near Leeds, pitched just past the hole, spun back and went into the hole, but flipped out and came to rest a couple of inches away.

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“I won the first match of the week with an eagle and I nearly finished it off with an eagle,” said Dean, of Lindrick.

Dean was dominant throughout most of the 36-hole final and was four up after the morning’s round.

‘Hopefully everyone will stop calling me a one-course player’
The win, on Yorkshire day, marks a return to form for Dean, a member of the England Golf men’s squad. He said: “I’ve struggled through the start of the year and I felt frustrated, so this means everything to me.”

A torrential downpour had threatened the final holes of the match, which saw Dean playing the 29 holes at four-under par. Course manager Philip Taylor even had to squeegee the 29th green before they could play to it.

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“I have played unbelievable golf today,” said Dean, who coped well with the atrocious conditions and said he had worked out a pre-shot routine with England coach Graham Walker. “I picked the shots I wanted to play, tried hitting them and it all came together. It feels as if everything has finally paid off.”

The tournament is the first major event Dean has won away from the Lee Westwood Trophy at Rotherham, which he successfully-defended this year. “Hopefully now everyone will stop calling me a one-course player,” he added.