GRAEME STORM admits that winning the Hilton European Tour Golfer of the Month after defeating world number two Rory McIlroy has given him the belief that he can compete with the best around.

Storm was handed the award for January after completing a remarkable comeback story courtesy of a play-off victory over McIlroy at the BMW SA Open.

The Hartlepool tour pro showed nerves of steel as he came up against the four-time major winner, who had made up a three-shot deficit on the final day to pile the pressure on Storm. While the crowd cheered McIlroy’s name, Storm was not to be outdone and he emerged to claim his second European Tour – his first in nearly ten years - after the third extra hole thanks to a par four on the 18th hole.

Storm, attached to Rockliffe Hall, said: “It’s a very big honour. I don’t think I’ve ever received this award before in my long career. The win in South Africa has been a great turning point in my career, I’ve continued to play well after it too and it’s nice to be back playing well again.

“The whole experience beating Rory was unbelievable, it still hasn’t really sunk in to be perfectly honest, even five or six weeks down the line. I still get flashbacks of what I achieved – beating Rory was a massive plus obviously and it has given me the confidence to play well in the future, knowing that I can mix it with the best when I play well.”

The victory marked an incredible resurgence for the 38-year-old, who had seemingly lost his European Tour card by just €100 at the end of the 2016 season only to be handed a reprieve after Patrick Reed was removed from the Race to Dubai Rankings, having not played the requisite number of events.

Storm receives Hilton Honors Diamond Elite Status – the highest tier of the hotel’s renowned loyalty scheme – for winning the Golfer of the Month, having beaten Tommy Fleetwood, Jeunghun Wang and Jordan Smith to the award.

AN amateur golfer from Newton Aycliffe just missed out on a prestigious national title when he competed in the singles final of the 2016 Morocco Matchplay, powered by HowDidiDo, in Marrakech.

Coachbuilder Neil Stein, 43, a 12-handicapper, who plays at Ramside Hall, won two of his matches at the Robert Trent Jones-designed PalmGolf Marrakech Palmeraie to finish third.

But he still enjoyed the experience in Morocco, where he received return flights from Gatwick, courtesy of the event's partner British Airways, bed-and-breakfast accommodation and four rounds of championship golf.

He said: "It's been an absolutely fantastic week. Everybody's been spot on, especially the four of us in the singles. We've had such a laugh. We've taken our golf seriously, but we've enjoyed excellent camaraderie. I can't recommend it highly enough for people to enter it, because it's been superb.

"It cost me £25 to be here. My club paid for the two matches at home and the guy paid for me when I went away, so I've had a superb week in the sun for £25. The organisation's been brilliant too; the hotel is fantastic, top drawer: the rooms, the golf course, the facilities are all outstanding. And I'm going back to the UK with a sun-tan.

"I've really enjoyed socialising with everybody on the trip, they're such nice people, from all over the country. All the lads who we've played with have said we're going to keep in touch because we've had such a good time.

"I let myself down on the first two days by losing my two matches, but pulled it back in the last two to finish third. I'm disappointed to not have won it, but third out of the many hundreds of people around the country who entered feels superb. You want to win the golf when you're here, but we all won, because we got a free holiday."

RICHMOND GC is staging the first of their 2017 Opens on Saturday, March 11 when the Winter Open will be held to kick off the club's 125th anniversary year. The competition is an individual stableford format and tee times are available with entry costing £10 for visitors and £5 members.

Other Open events will also be held throughout the year with a Mixed Open on Saturday, April 1, a Seniors Open on Tuesday, May 9, the popular Stevie Dee Texas Scramble on Tuesday, May 30, a Gents Open 4BBB on Saturday, June 3, a Ladies Open on Saturday June 17, a Senior Mixed Greensomes on Wednesday, June 21, a Gents Individual Open on Saturday, July 1 and the final event of the year is a 4BBB Open during the Dales Festival on Tuesday, August 22.

The Winter Order of Merit has been completed with John Staple and Ian Elliott winning their respective divisions of the series, which was run throughout January and February, after the final Waltz competition. The Ladies Waltz competition, meanwhile, was won by Karen Jobling, Vicky Matters and Adele Chambers with a score of 72 points.