AHEAD of making the trip Stateside for a four-year golf scholarship, a talented teenager claimed the county's top prize.

Hexham Golf Club member Joseph Robson (19) has long shown his promise in the sport with success in the county championships at U14 and U16 level, and his rise has continued as he clinched the senior Northumberland County Strokeplay Championship at the weekend.

With it all to play for during a tight final round, it was four birdies on the back nine which saw him finish five shots ahead of Close House's Christian Brown and Andrew Minnikin, of City of Newcastle.

Joseph said: "I was absolutely over the moon. I played really well all week especially on the back nine as I birdied the 11th, 13th, 15th and 17th. I had made a few changes to my swing as I didn't play so well at the English Amateur.

"I won the Northern Counties last year but I would say this is probably my biggest victory, and I'm still buzzing about it really."

After consistent play saw him hit rounds of 71, 68 and 69, Joseph went into the final round three shots ahead of the chasing pack. He found himself trailing by one stroke with Brown looking likely to pull away. However, Joseph pulled it out of the back on the back nine, his four birdies putting him in the driving seat.

"It was a little tighter than it looks at the end result as it was neck and neck throughout but Christian triple bogied the last hole which made the margin look more comfortable at five shots," said Joseph. "Playing against all the top players in Northumberland did make it even sweeter."

It was the perfect way for Joseph to sign off ahead of his studies in New Mexico State University, although he will contest the upcoming Northumberland Matchplay Championship before he jets off at the end of this month. There, he hopes to hone the skills he has picked up at Hexham under the expert guidance of professional Andy Paisley.

Joseph said: "I'm looking forward to getting warm weather practice in over the winter months as the weather isn't so nice over here. I will have access to good quality instruction to build on the work with Andy, and will play more competitions against and with some of the best children in America which will push me on."