A ROUND of golf with former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley and a holiday in the Bahamas awaits two Selby GC players after they starred at The Belfry.

Mark Kelly and Luke Eustace won the American Golf 9 Hole Championship at the famous Warwickshire course following two days of competition and will take to the fairways and greens with the man who masterminded Europe's triumph at Gleneagles last autumn.

Having qualified for the final as regional winners at Woodhall Spa, the pair put together two great rounds to get through to a last four matchplay clash in front of the Sky Sports cameras. Their semi-final went right down to the wire and they secured victory on the final hole to meet Swindon brothers Sam and Tom Ruddle in the showpiece match.

Eustace, who is 25 and plays off 13, said: "The cameras made me nervous. I was all right in the semis and in the morning but, during the final, I was quite nervous."

The North Yorkshire duo were first out of the blocks in the final - taking an early two shot lead that settled the butterflies.

The 26-year-old Kelly, who boasts a handicap of seven, added: "Because of the short format and the early lead, we really settled in and we never felt like we were losing.”

Maintaining control throughout, Eustace hit the shot of the final under pressure on the 7th hole. Finding himself in a bunker on his approach, he nailed his recovery from the sand and then sank the putt to record a fantastic birdie and go two up with two to play.

The pair then took the momentum into the next, winning the hole for a 3&1 victory.

After accepting the prize and the title from Sky Sports presenter Rob Lee, Eustace said: “The prize is sensational. We’ve won everything - the round with Paul McGinley, the Bahamas trip and M1 drivers from TaylorMade.

"I hope that this doesn’t show that I’ve had a dull life but it’s easily up there with the best weeks I’ve ever had. We’ll definitely be spreading the word about the American Golf event for next year.”

The event is part of the company's drive to get more people out playing golf. The shorter format has proved popular, with large attendances at qualifying events held all over the UK, and plans are already under way to hold it again next year.