IT’S been a while since South Moor had a county champion to boast about, in fact it’s 43 years. The wait, however, is over after a dramatic end to last weekend’s Durham Golf Union’s individual showpiece event at Wynyard.

The club’s gifted Chris Handy, who won the English Boys Champion of Champions when he was 18, has made the most of his summer break from a golf scholarship in Oakland, Michigan, to win the title which his father, James, came close to winning himself in the late 90s.

Handy posted a brilliant fourth and final round six-under 66 on Sunday to claw back Jack Ainscough’s lead and force the competition to a three-hole play-off. The 20-year-old held his nerve to make the most of Ainscough’s bogeys at the 16th and 18th to be crowned Durham champion.

James Handy, the former Union captain, lost out in a gruelling 36-hole play-off himself to Stuart Ord in 1996 at South Moor and made bogey at the last three years later at Barnard Castle to narrowly lose out again.

Ord was the last South Moor member to claim the title in 1974 at Seaton Carew.

“My dad was there on Sunday to watch and he came straight over to congratulate me,” said Handy.

“I had heard all about what happened, he went close a couple of times. I’m really pleased I could win it.

“I also went close to winning it when I was 16. I was leading after the first two rounds at Eaglescliffe but I just fell away after that. It was a good experience though.”

Handy started with a 74 which left him playing catch-up with early leader from Tyneside James Wilson and Hartlepool’s Ainscough.

He steadied his game, though, and posted 70 and 68 before shooting the impressive 66 on the Sunday.

He said: “I started with three birdies in a row so I was three under after three and made a really great par on the fourth where I was in the trees.

I hit it on to the second fairway and then hit a wedge to 20 feet and holed it for a par which kept me going.

“I then made birdie again on the next and had a lot of opportunities after that but didn’t hole many.

“On the back nine I did make a few birdies and played some really good golf.”

Handy, who was seven under par through 15, would have been home and dry had he not plugged in the bunker at the short 17th when he ended with a double bogey five.

His great approach to within four feet at 18 allowed him to finish on a ten under total. Ainscough would have still won it himself had he rolled in a long birdie putt on the last.

While Ainscough suffered frustration in the play-off, Handy birdied the 16th and was still two ahead after 17. At the last Handy drove into the perfect spot and made a solid par when Ainscough found trouble again.

The victory was the perfect way to spend his first month of the summer back home, having returned until August from his first year at Oakland University where he is studying finance.

“The dream is obviously to be a Tour player and I’m hoping my experience out in the States will help me, where it’s been really good so far,” said Handy, who has been described by his coach Andrew Nicholson as a great ball striker.

“Being out there has helped my game a lot. I’ve been able to get in a lot more practice which is good. But I’m not really putting any pressure on myself in terms of the future, I’m just seeing how things go.

“It’s rare that you can become a real success on the Tour, I’ll see how it goes. I want to keep my options open and I will see how my game has developed at the end of my four years at university.

“I’m really good at mathematics, which is why I am doing finance, but I have not really thought about doing anything other than the golf at this stage.”

Durham County Championship Leaderboard

Chris Handy (South Moor) 74-70-68-66 = 278

Jack Ainscough (Hartlepool) 72-67-69-70 = 278

James Wilson (Tyneside) 68-69-73-69 = 279

Craig Walton (Seaham) 72-71-73-71 = 288

Dominic Salmon (Brancepeth) 74-72-73-69 = 288