WINNING breeds confidence and Scott Brannan has new bags-full after getting his second year as professional player off to a flier.

The assistant professional at York Golf Range in Towthorpe opened his 2009 season with victory in the Yorkshire Professional Golfers’ Association Mizuno order of merit event in Leeds.

In atrocious conditions that tested the mettle of many a more seasoned pro at Alwoodley Golf Club, the 20-year-old held his nerve to post a level-par 72 and claim joint first place.

It was Brannan’s first event of the season and that winning feeling has realigned the upcoming youngster towards a five-year grand plan to establish himself as a top European Tour pro.

“My ambition has always been to be a Tour golfer and I now want this win to put me on an upward learning curve towards a target of being one of those golfers you read about in the industry’s magazines over the next four to five years.

“Everybody has to start somewhere and there’s nothing to say why I can’t become that special type of player.”

His new-found conviction is founded on the nerveless way he approached the event at Alwoodley, where a fierce wind, especially on the critical last few inward holes, was directly into his face.

“They are arguably some of the worst conditions any golfer can face. At times it was torture. But I managed to stay calm and stay focussed,” he recalled.

“I never did really well in my first year as a pro. So it was a bit of a shock to win. Everything just clicked.

“Now I aim to take all the positives I can from that win. It’s a weird feeling, but I know what it is to sample a win now and I know I can win. That’s a big step in my progression and I will take that into the next tournament and the next. I know what I have to do.

“Even if it proves to be my only victory for the rest of this season, what I did at Alwoodley has fired me to try to make sure this entire season is all about learning more and more about being a top golfer.”

Only in his second year as an assistant pro at YGR, York-based Brannan has worked for close on four years at the Towthorpe set-up, where facilities have developed into an impressive complex.

The youngster loves the place. “It’s ideal for me. I am here meeting all sorts of players and I can practice myself.

“Each Wednesday night and Sunday I teach, and that’s a buzz trying to help players become better players themselves.”

If he can apply that same rigour to his own game, his debut triumph will become even more memorable.