Brad’s the champ

Golfer Brad Smith produced two magnificent rounds to hold off the competition and claim victory in the English Open for golfers with a disability at Stoke-by-Nayland Golf Club.

The Royal Cromer member posted two consecutive rounds of 70 for a -4 total to win by a commanding eight shots from 2023 champion Oliver Hirst-Greenham.

Brad said: “It’s always nice to win your home event, so it feels good. I played two solid rounds this week. Hopefully, I’ll pick up a few spots in the world rankings and I feel like I’m on a good run of form at the moment.

“Winning in Ireland was really nice and gave me a lot of confidence coming into this week.

“I’ve won that twice now. I’ve learnt every time finishing a tournament where I’ve gone wrong in the past, what you can improve on and how you can control your nerves.

“There were a couple of hiccups coming in, but I knew I had a bit of a buffer, so it didn’t matter. I just made sure I played it ultra safe.

“I’m going to drive two hours home and I might stop off and get a nice bottle of wine or a few beers!”