A STEETON-based golfer has joined a list of previous star winners as he claimed a title.

Max Berrisford was declared a winner at the Berkshire Trophy last weekend, as he ended the event with a total gross score of 271 after four rounds of action.

He was tied for first place at the event with Freddie Turnell, who also had a total gross score of 271.

The Berkshire Trophy is the amateur stroke play golf championship played at The Berkshire Golf Club in England. It has been played annually since 1946.

Prestigious previous winners of the Berkshire Trophy include Nick Faldo, who won the event in 1975 and Sandy Lyle who claimed the title two years later.

Reflecting on his victory, Berrisford told the T&A: “It was a very strong field, so I was delighted to get the victory.

“Come the end of play I was very relieved to win because it was a very close and nervy contest throughout. I felt like it could have gone either way, so it was a brilliant feeling to be crowned the winner.”

Berrisford added: “The first two rounds of play were really good for me; there wasn’t much I could have improved on. However, the third round threw up a few more obstacles that I had to overcome, and my game perhaps wasn’t as strong in that round. I managed to recover by the last round and I finished strongly, something that is always key in a competition.

“Going into the 14th and 15th in the last round, I thought that I had a great chance to get the win because I was playing extremely well at that point, and a lot of things were going right for me. However, it’s never that easy,” Berrisford joked.

“I then went on to miss a couple of putts, which meant that he (Freddie Turnell) had a two-shot lead going into 17th and 18th hole, so I thought the chances of winning at that point were slim. But I did claw it back and I was delighted to do so.

“It’s the best achievement of my amateur career so far.”

Berrisford, who is a member at Ilkley Golf Club, admitted that he doesn’t know what the future holds for him regarding the sport.

He said: “I’m still undecided about my future; I need to have a good think about my next steps as I’m still relatively young. I actually have a flying license and my goal has always been to go into that field with a possibility of becoming a flight instructor.

“Golf never crossed my mind initially, but victories like last weekend do give you that added confidence and belief. If I can continue to get good results in the top events, then who knows what the future might bring for me in this sport.

“It will need to be a long and hard think about my next steps, for sure, but my belief is certainly up after last weekend’s win.”

Berrisford has a short turnaround as he returns to action on Monday for Open qualifying, while he competes in the English Amateur competition next month.