KIDDERMINSTER professional Pat Smith had good reason to enthuse about his amateur partner Nathan Bailey at Little Aston Golf Club after the pair won a luxury trip to Portugal.
Playing in the Midland final of Europe's biggest pro-am, the Lombard Trophy, they posted a late 65, seven under par.
Their score dislodged long-time leaders on 66, Redditch, represented by professional David Down and 15-handicapper, Mick O'Donnell.
Bailey, 31, a former county squash champion who gave up playing the game full-time to bring up a family, made a superb contribution on the inward nine.
Playing off what seemed like a generous handicap of 17, the photocopier firm sales manager made a firm imprint on the game by firing three straight birdies from the 12th, the first becoming a net eagle on handicap.
It was only then that Smith, 10 years an assistant at Kidderminster before becoming head pro last September, began to think the trip to the Algarve might become reality.
He underlined their worth at the final hole with a tracer-like five-iron 160 yards into the wind that rolled to within two feet of the flag for his third birdie of the round.
The winners now join 15 others from all over Great Britain and Ireland for the 36-hole grand final over the Ocean course at Vale do Lobo in the Algarve from September 14 until 18.
Sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland, the championship will provide a prize fund of almost £80,000, of which the professional winner banks £10,000.
Daniel Greenwood and Andrew Longden, from Bewdley's Forest Pines club, secured joint sixth place with a good display.
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