Just over two years since first taking to the sport of iron and wood, Keith Bottomley is at the top of his game.

The engineering supervisor at Malton Bacon Factory was crowned club champion at Forest of Galtres Golf Club, where he registered two excellent cards.

His first 18 holes broke the course record for an amateur, a brilliant gross 71. That, allied to his afternoon 75, was comfortably the best over two rounds to give him the club title.

The club-best conquest was further evidence of his progress in 1999. He started the season with a handicap of 17, but in July he landed his first Forest of Galtres major prize, the Proctor Cup.

Such good form reduced his handicap to 11, which should be docked even more now that he is club champion and also newly through to the York Union team after representing his club in the scratch team championship.

But while it was all smiles for Bottomley, it was woe for the second year on the bounce for Steve Herridge. The eight-handicapper was runner-up again with rounds of 73 and 78 posted with brand new clubs after just a few days earlier suffering the theft of his original set.

The best division one nett was Darren Emmerson, while Dave Fotheringham edged out David Reed on the back six to win division two. The division three honours went to Bill Johnson.

PREPARATIONS are on course for Malton and Norton GC's date with competitive destiny next week.

The club will host for the first time the Yorkshire PGA Classic on Monday and Tuesday.

A total of 93 professionals are in the field including the last three Yorkshire PGA champions - Adrian Ambler, Ganton GC's Gary Brown and Steve Robinson, the Malton and Norton professional.

Monday will see the professionals do battle over 36-holes chasing a prize fund target of more than £5,000 on offer from championship sponsor Online.

The second day will comprise a Pro-Am in which more than 40 teams have entered.

As an extra incentive human resource recruitment specialists Jefferson Lloyd are jointly sponsoring a Volvo C70 car with Ray Chapman Motors of Malton for a hole in one at the fourth hole.

PIKE HILLS GC will definitely have a representative in the York Union of Golf Clubs' matchplay championships final next month.

Martin Brown and Russ Chilton, both of Pike Hills, will contest the second semi-final of the event for the 16 players who qualified from the York Amateur championships.

Brown defeated Easingwold's Steve Faulkner in a match that went to the 22nd hole, while Chilton toppled Brian Lowson of Malton and Norton GC.

The first semi-final will be between Fulford's Richard Cass, conqueror of club-mate and York Amateur champion Jonathan Plaxton, and The York GC's David Holder, who beat Heworth GC's new course record-holder Jim Batt.

Both semi-finals and final will be played at Heworth on Sunday, October 3.

RUDDING Park Golf stages a 'soap' filling in a competitive sandwich at the scenic woodland course in Harrogate.

Stars of the small screen will take part in the Emmerdale Golf Classic a week tomorrow. It is the fifth year the charity event, in aid of the Roy Castle foundation, will be held at Rudding Park.

It follows hard on from the swing actions of the MasterCard Tour event and before the Super Seniors championship on October 4-6.

Backed too by York businessman David Proctor and his wife Sylvia, the Emmerdale Golf Classic raises substantial funds for the world's only lung cancer research centre.

Teeing off is at noon and after the serious play it's down to a celebrity gala dinner at the Queens Hotel in Leeds.

Of the staging of the classic Rudding Park owner Mark Mackaness said: "It is fitting not only because of Emmerdale's association with the area, but also because it ensures that the Yorkshire roots of Roy's charity remain here."

THERE was a tight finish to the Commer Inns MasterCard Tour pro-am at Rudding Park when the two leading teams on 17-under were still level on a card countback over the last nine.

Victory was determined by the last six holes, going to Hesketh professional Lee Slattery with amateur partners Bruce Copsey, Paul Newell and John McGee. Runners-up were Irish pro' Jim Carvill backed by Bruce Cook, Jonathan Reeves and York's Malcolm Huntington.

ALDWARK Manor GC has backed a winner.

For the first time the golf and country club combined the two sports of golf and horse racing - a sort of 'wood and horse' affair, you might say.

The Aldwark complex hosted its first race day at York Racecourse. A day of golf was followed by a day at the races at the hugely popular Knavesmire track before returning to the hotel for a three-course dinner.

At the races the hotel sponsored the Aldwark Manor Short Breaks Maiden Stakes with hotel manager John Milburn presenting the trophy and a gift of a weekend break at Aldwark to the winning trainer and the stable hand who groomed the best turned-out horse.

Enthused Milburn: "It was such a great race and it was good to get everyone together to enjoy two of Britain's most loved sports."

Meanwhile Aldwark Manor hosts the last two qualifying rounds in the Ladies Golf Challenge - sponsored by Lady Golfer magazine - over the next two days.

The Grand Final will be staged at the Manor on October 3-4.

COUNTBACK determined top places in Christine Gillyon's Lady Captain's day at Kilnwick Percy GC.

The winner of the Anne Beharrell trophy was Christine Hunter ahead of Vivien Howson after both carded a nett 67. Third was Abigail Huxtable on 68.

Howson however gained consolation when, with husband Alan, she lifted the Buckle Couple Cup after a nett 61 from Anne and Mike Beharrell (65) and Iona and Chris Buckle (68). Vivien Howson also won the ladies' longest drive with Iona Buckle nearest the pin and Mike Beharrell hitting the men's longest drive.

For the second year running Nigel Burgess and Brian Petrie won the Autumn Challenge Cup, a nett 58 topping the scores in the betterball event.

Countback separated the next three couples who all scored 62 - David Jacobs and Kevin Thompson second, Terry Wood and Mike Neale third, and Rob Yellowley and Jordan McNeil fourth. Two's club winners were Richard Myers, Ian Wallace, McNeil and Jacobs.

A FIVE-UNDER 69 earned Joan Smith Fulford GC's ladies' section's David Melville Cup. Judy Jones was runner-up on 72.

Meanwhile June Robinson won Fulford's September medal by two shots from Josie Jowsey. Jenny Whicher won the silver section.

GO Joe, go. That was six-handicapper Joe Barrett, who broke the members' record on Forest Park GC's Old Foss course with a gross 71 in the September medal.

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