THE Handy-man can and did to deliver once again by winning the Durham County Strokeplay Championship for the second year in a row.

And South Moor’s Chris Handy has revealed how a video session with his dad helped him tweak his swing and retain his title as the Durham strokeplay champion.

The 21-year-old played steady golf over the first two days at Billingham before last minute adjustments gave him the confidence to fire a blistering 69 and 67 to finish three shots clear on 280.

The plus two handicapper, who is studying at Oakland University in the United States, became the 13th person in the title’s 110 year history to win back-to-back Durham crowns.

Chris, from Tanfield Lea, said: “I was going into the tournament struggling a bit with my swing and I was not happy with the way I was hitting it.

“Friday and Saturday was a little bit of a struggle for me, just trying to play within myself and keep a score going.

“I went out on the Saturday night on the range and managed to figure some stuff out.

“I was only one shot behind on the last day so I had a good opportunity to win it again and I played really well.”

His final 67 would have been even better but for a bad lie in a bunker which led to a double-bogey, but nevertheless, Chris held on to win with a four under par total.

What was the key to Chris flushing the ball on the final day?

“When I stood over the ball on the first two days I felt like I was going to hook it so I wasn’t in a good frame of mind and was playing defensively, just trying to get the ball around,” he said.

“On the Sunday I changed something in my backswing and it felt a lot better. My dad videoed me and I saw the club was just slightly more closed than normal, so I made a change and hit it straighter.”

Chris comes from a family of golfers, and his father James came close on several occasions to winning the County Championship.

He is a former winner of the England Boys County Champion of Champions tournament and is half way through his four year course studying finance at Oakland, where he also represents the university golf team.

His aim when he completes his time at Oakland is to become a tour pro.

South Moor’s acting chairman Guy Carr said: “Everyone at the club is delighted for Chris and his massive achievement in retaining the trophy.

“We’ve watched his progress from starting golf as a little lad, walking the fairways at South Moor, to winning a scholarship to play golf in America.

“He’s a very worthy champion and a great representative for our club.”

There was almost further glory to celebrate for South Moor when Mark Ridley was pipped to the post in the Silversea Senior PGA Professional Championship at Foxhills.

John King, the long-serving head professional at Lindrick, muscled in on the anticipated duel between Ridley and John Gould to win.

Six and five strokes adrift of Ridley and Gould respectively at the start of the final round, King kept his game together while they faltered.

Ridley, who is attached to South Moor, County Durham, was unable to replicate the form that had seen him lead the tournament at the end of the first and second rounds and posted a four-over-par total of 77 to finish on two-under-par. One-over after 12, his round was effectively derailed by bogeys at 14, 16 and 17.

King unaware of implosions behind him made flawless progress round the Bernard Hunt course and, courtesy of a birdie at the par-four 13th, carded a one-under-par round of 72 to finish on two-under to seal a sudden death play-off with Ridley to determine the destiny of the £6,000 winner’s cheque.

It took place on the par-four 18th and while King had the momentum, Ridley had previous on the double green.

He had signed off on days one and two with a 40-foot chip for a birdie and an even longer putt for an eagle but this time his Midas touch with either putter or wedge deserted him.

Not least on the third negotiation of the hole when he three-putted for a bogey and King claimed victory with a par.