Stephen Jensen from Cornwall was crowned English Senior Men’s Amateur champion for a second time in three years after a riveting final against Leicestershire’s Steve Sansome at Brancepeth Castle on Friday.
In a sensational match, Jensen looked set to go 5-down while heading towards the 10th green, but the 58-year-old produced a miraculous turnaround to win the title on the 18th hole in dramatic fashion.
Brancepeth Castle was in great condition as the sun shone and the first two holes of the day saw both make comfortable pars before the first bit of drama arrived on the 3rd. Jensen went left, prompting a ball search, and very unfortunately, the ball was found in the short rough albeit after the three-minute mark, meaning he had to head back to the tee. He eventually conceded the hole after Sansome hit the green in two.
The 4th saw them halve another and Jensen should have been all-square on the 5th after hitting the green, but the Trevose man three-putted for bogey when Sansome, from Birstal GC, had hit the bunker and couldn’t get up-and-down.
The long par-5 6th saw them halve another in pars before Sansome won three holes on the spin. Jensen found himself blocked out left from his tee shot on 7 and couldn’t get up-and-down for par, and Sansome holed a 12-footer on 8 for birdie. Jensen failed to make par on the 9th with his playing partner seeing his birdie putt nestle right on the cup, and all of a sudden he was 4-up.
It looked like it was going to be 5-up on 10 when Sansome (Birstall) hit a fine tee shot which left him a 20-foot putt, and Jensen’s tee shot got a wicked bounce off a mound, right-angling underneath a buggy and just staying in play. However, in a remarkable turn of events, Jensen made a tremendous up-and-down for par to reduce the deficit to three holes, as Sansome three-putted.
The 2022 champion then brought it back to 2-up as he made a regulation par on 11 with Sansome missing a short putt, and on 12, Jensen drained a 15-foot eagle putt with Sansome set for birdie.
MOMENTUM SHIFT
Despite momentum firmly with Jensen, Sansome stuck his approach on 13 to two feet, but the Cornish golfer produced a stunning 25-foot putt to halve it in birdies. Sansome couldn’t quite get up-and-down for par on 14 after a wayward tee shot, and with the match all-square on 15, the Leicestershire golfer three-putted to go behind for the first time in the match.
Jensen’s tee shot on 16 rolled behind a tree from which he did well to recover from, and his chip for eagle hit the flag before Sansome’s eagle putt fell just shy, as the duo halved in birdies again. On 17 there was more drama as Jensen found long stuff in the trees left and after taking two shots to get out, he duly gave the hole to Sansome who had fired one down the middle, leaving the match all-square heading down 18.
Both hit fine tee shots on the last, but Jensen showed his class and composure with his approach, as the ball finished a mere inches from the hole for the birdie, and Sansome’s 15-footer lipped out to end a mesmerising match 1-up.
Talking of his win, Jensen commented: “I’m delighted to be the English champion once again, it’s always an honour to be a national champion, it’s what we all strive for and I’ve been very fortunate to win it twice in the last three years.
“I’ll be trying very hard to make it three in four next year! It’s one of the highlights of the calendar now and I look forwarded to trying to defend it at Burhill next year.”