A YOUNG couple from Tynemouth have won two of the Northern Golfer Champion of Champions events in partnership with Lookers Renault.

Rebecca Ferguson and Stewart Fell, who met in a junior competition at Tynemouth Golf Club as teenagers and have been a couple for more than six years, won their respective categories in the Champion of Champions events at Ramside Hall - beating strong fields of club champions from across the north of England.

Meanwhile, in the Junior Champion of Champions, Hexham’s Jospeh Robson lifted the coveted title among an elite field of the region’s best youngsters.

Rebecca, who won the first Ladies Champion of Champions event for club champions from across Northumberland, Durham, Teesside, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and the Borders, shot a level par round of 74 to beat the field by three shots.

She said: “It’s amazing to be the first ever winner of the event and for Stew to win the men’s title was just perfect. I was so shocked and excited when I arrived at Ramside and saw his name at the top of the leaderboard too.

“We play a lot of golf together and it’s great to have two huge titles together having started out playing junior comps together nearly 10 years ago.

“The course was fantastic and I started really well by getting to four under-par through four holes. I thought it could be my day after that start but I dropped a couple of shots at the next two holes and really had to fight to keep my round going.

“I managed to settle down, used some of my experience from county matches and the national events I’ve played in, and just ground it out coming in. Having my mum and dad out on the course with me was really nice and it was lovely to win with them here watching me too.”

Rebecca finished three shots ahead of second place Holly Hardy from Alnmouth Village Golf Club as Darlington Golf Club’s Ella Crang finished third with a round of 79 on the Prince Bishops Course.

Stewart, who added his name to a long list of Men’s Champions stretching back to the 1960s when the championship was run by The Journal in Newcastle, shot a level par round of 72 to win by three shots in extremely tough conditions on the Cathedral Course.

He said: “Bex had been building it up all week having already won her event, but I never thought I’d go out there with such an elite field and get the win.

“It’s a great feeling to get a big win under my belt, to join an incredible list of past winners and to be the best club champion in the north of England alongside Rebecca.

“The course was so tough in the rain and wind – the key was building a solid score on the front nine. I managed to keep it together through those tough holes with some really good iron shots before I capitalised on the shorter holes coming in,” added Stewart, who received an exemption for a EuroPro Tour event next year along with the Champion of Champions trophy.

In the Junior Champion of Champions, which was launched by the magazine in 2015, Hexham’s Joseph Robson shot a round of 71 to win by two shots from Westerhope’s William Wilkinson and Whitley Bay’s Brandon Jones on the Cathedral Course to earn the trophy and the chance to play alongside European Tour player Chris Paisley.

The three Champion of Champions events are supported by Lookers Renault, a brand with strong ties to golf across the UK and with sport in the North-East.

Lookers Renault’s Anth Wills said: “Congratulations to Rebecca and Stewart, and to Joseph, for some excellent golf at Ramside. To see Rebecca and Stewart lift their respective trophies was fantastic, and a great occasion for Lookers Renault to be part of. We wish them all the best for their future on and off the golf course.”

Tournament host Ramside Hall proved a perfect, if challenging, venue for all three events with players tackling the Prince Bishops and Cathedral courses.

Ramside Hall director of golf Helen Roseberry added: “To see three young golfers win these tournaments with fantastic scores was brilliant - and for a couple to win the Ladies and Men’s titles was the icing on the cake.

“The feedback from the players over the two days was very positive and our course manager Roger Shaw and all the team here have prepared the course to find true champions. We’re delighted to have been part of the event and look forward to working with Northern Golfer and Lookers Renault in the future.”