GOLF ace Emma Brown came desperately close to winning a third Yorkshire Ladies’ Championship – but suffered sudden death heartbreak on the fourth extra hole.

On her home course of Malton & Norton, North Yorkshire’s most successful female amateur player strode to the final of the three-day event at the Welham Park-based club before falling to Sara Garbutt on the 22nd hole.

It was the 11th time she has finished runner-up in the event, which mixes strokeplay and matchplay, but, despite the disappointment, Brown reckons her performance has put her in a strong position for the rest of the season.

Shooting 72 and 68 in the first day’s strokeplay, Brown destroyed Brough’s Nicola Craven 9&8 in the first round of the matchplay.

Successive 3&2 successes against Hallamshire’s Rebecca Wood and Harrogate’s Nikki Dunn set up a final showdown with Garbutt.

And Brown said it was nip and tuck during the championship finale on a Malton course she praised for its fabulous condition.

“I played well, just really steady during the strokeplay,” she said. “It’s hard to beat Sara – we are both fairly similar players who don’t make too many mistakes.

“There was more pressure on me being from Malton & Norton. You are expected to play well but I am playing quite nicely and it is still nice to be up there.”

On the course, Brown added: “I have never seen the course looking as good at this time of the year.”

The Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship, at Ganton next month, is next on Brown’s radar.

• JAMES Drinkall, Allerthorpe Park’s head professional, is enjoying a superb start to the season.

Drinkall tied for first place on three-under in the Yorkshire PGA’s first order of merit event, the Links Challenge at Bridlington.

Drinkall’s team also won the North Region’s Brough Ladies Pro AM. He shot 66 (-2), making him the second-best individual pro.

• THE Captain’s Charity Shield, in aid of Help The Heroes, was closely contested at Forest Park GC with Tony Storey edging out Alan Shearer on a back nine count-back – after both carded a nett 66.

• MATTHEW Roberts, an 11-year-old member at Fulford, shot a remarkable 12-under-par round of nett 60 to win the junior white tee medal – a result which reduced his handicap from 26 to 21.

The first qualifying round of the Victory Cup went to 13-year-old Sam Wilkinson, whose nett 65 was one shot ahead of fellow junior member Josh Plaxton. Wilkinson also had the best gross score of 71.

• JOHN Temple, of The York Golf Club, bagged a hole in one at Newark, on the 153-yard 15th hole.