Stephen Creed became the new name on the English Senior Men's Amateur Championship trophy on Friday with victory over Rupert Kellock in the final.
After five days of exciting and entertaining golf at Luffenham Heath Golf Club featuring over 100 of the country’s top seniors, the 58-year-old from Stratford-on-Avon emerged victorious following an excellent contest against the 2021 English Senior Men's Amateur Stroke Play champion.
Creed took an early lead in the second hole of the final and didn't let that advantage slip, eventually claiming the title on the 18th green in front of a generous crowd at the Rutland course.
The top seed from stroke play qualifying did have an opportunity to record his victory at the 17th but despite passing up that chance, he held his nerve admirably to secure the trophy in front of the clubhouse. The victory proved to be an emotional one for Creed who admitted at the presentation that his mother is currently receiving end-of-life care and that there were bittersweet feelings after the result.
Speaking after the presentation, Creed said: "I'm absolutely over the moon! It has taken a lot of dedication and hard work to get to this point and to win a national final is amazing feeling.
"My mother is 98 years old and she's now receiving end-of-life care so I hope she'd be proud of me today and I'd like to think this is a great way to say thank you to her for all her support over the years.
"When I was younger, my mother wanted me to have something to do so my uncle gave me a set of clubs and balls and I used to just have a hit down in the bottom field. It's a wonderful feeling to be standing here with this trophy in my hands and I'm so grateful to all my family for their support."
Having beaten Edward Richardson in the semi-final earlier in the day, Creed knew he would then have a tough task against Kellock in the final but was delighted to come out on the right side of the result. He said: "I know Rupert well and I know what a fantastic player he is so I was pretty certain I was going to have to play really well to beat him.
"Even in the final I made a few mistakes but I was lucky at times that Rupert didn't punish those and I ended up with the win and the chance to stand here with this trophy. To win a national competition has been a long time in the making for me and it truly is a proud day for me and for all my family."
Earlier in the day, Creed had put in a stunning performance to defeat Richardson 5&4 in a semi-final which was laced with birdies, the champion eventually winning four consecutive holes to secure the match. The other semi-final was a tighter affair as Kellock saw off Mark Snape 2&1 but the Sunningdale golfer always appeared in control of the tie and wasn't behind at any stage in the match before claiming the victory.
To check out the scores and results from last week’s Senior Men’s Amateur Championship, click here.
Creed took an early lead in the second hole of the final and didn't let that advantage slip, eventually claiming the title on the 18th green in front of a generous crowd at the Rutland course.
The top seed from stroke play qualifying did have an opportunity to record his victory at the 17th but despite passing up that chance, he held his nerve admirably to secure the trophy in front of the clubhouse. The victory proved to be an emotional one for Creed who admitted at the presentation that his mother is currently receiving end-of-life care and that there were bittersweet feelings after the result.
Speaking after the presentation, Creed said: "I'm absolutely over the moon! It has taken a lot of dedication and hard work to get to this point and to win a national final is amazing feeling.
"My mother is 98 years old and she's now receiving end-of-life care so I hope she'd be proud of me today and I'd like to think this is a great way to say thank you to her for all her support over the years.
"When I was younger, my mother wanted me to have something to do so my uncle gave me a set of clubs and balls and I used to just have a hit down in the bottom field. It's a wonderful feeling to be standing here with this trophy in my hands and I'm so grateful to all my family for their support."
Having beaten Edward Richardson in the semi-final earlier in the day, Creed knew he would then have a tough task against Kellock in the final but was delighted to come out on the right side of the result. He said: "I know Rupert well and I know what a fantastic player he is so I was pretty certain I was going to have to play really well to beat him.
"Even in the final I made a few mistakes but I was lucky at times that Rupert didn't punish those and I ended up with the win and the chance to stand here with this trophy. To win a national competition has been a long time in the making for me and it truly is a proud day for me and for all my family."
Earlier in the day, Creed had put in a stunning performance to defeat Richardson 5&4 in a semi-final which was laced with birdies, the champion eventually winning four consecutive holes to secure the match. The other semi-final was a tighter affair as Kellock saw off Mark Snape 2&1 but the Sunningdale golfer always appeared in control of the tie and wasn't behind at any stage in the match before claiming the victory.
To check out the scores and results from last week’s Senior Men’s Amateur Championship, click here.
ENDS
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: pr@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: pr@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org