JACK AINSCOUGH’S rapidly rising reputation has reached new heights after becoming the youngest winner of the club championship in Hartlepool Golf Club’s proud 109-year history.

Ainscough had only sat his final GCSE exam on Friday aged 15 years ten months and 19 days before following that up by turning on the style over the weekend to clinch the title.

The teenager carded an opening round three-under 67 to get things rolling before posting a steady 71 in challenging conditions on the North Sea coast to take the crown by six shots.

In ending up well clear of the field, the youngster from Shotton, County Durham, claimed the honour of being Hartlepool’s youngest champion from Paul Newbury, who was 17 when he got his hands on the trophy in 1984.

“I have been playing really well. My putting was on fire, I holed a good few 30 footers so that was great and it filled me with plenty of confidence,” said Ainscough. “I’m just really proud to have got the record. I still don’t think I can believe I am the youngster winner in its 109 years history.”

Ainscough, displaying a maturity and focus belying his age, is edging ever closer to his summer target of getting his handicap down to plus one and his talent has impressed everyone at Hartlepool.

The club’s chairman John Watt said: “It is brilliant for Hartlepool Golf Club and he appears to have a great future ahead of him. To have a player so young beat everyone else to the title has shocked everyone, we are all amazed but he deserves it.

“We also had Cameron Wallace, who is in the same year at the same school, who finished runner-up. For a club which already has members like Graeme Storm (European Tour), Graeme Bell (European Senior Tour), Alex Wrigley (EuroPro Tour) and England Ladies captain Christine Pascal, it is good to see we have the young talent coming through too.”

Already this summer Ainscough has won the North of England Schools’ Championship, clinched second spot in the Durham County Boys behind South Moor’s Chris Handy and finished top ten in the men’s Durham County Championship.

He is at Nizels Golf Club to start his pursuit of the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters today and his schedule for the rest of the year includes the English Schools’ final, the Scottish Under-16s Championship, British Boys, the McGregor Trophy and the Carris. The majority all carry world ranking points.

“It’s nice to know I have just finished my GCSEs,” said Ainscough, who is a sports scholar at Dyke House Sports & Technology College where he intends to return to Sixth Form and do his A-levels.

“I’m not sure what I will be doing after my A-levels. I suppose it depends how I am playing and what I have achieved. I could go to America to go on a university sports scholarship or try to turn pro and play on the Challenge Tour.”

Storm, the British amateur champion in 1998 and French Open winner in 2007, has guided Ainscough as part of the College’s golf scholarship and was delighted to see him win the same title he clinched as a 19-year-old in 1999.

“I think it is an awesome achievement but one of no surprise to me as I believe Jack has huge talent, ability and most of all confidence to go as far as he wants to in the game,” said Storm.

“Jack has a huge future and I believe this is just another stepping stone he has leaped over on his way to progressing into a top amateur.

“I would like to think that Jack can look at my achievements and hope to match if not better them over the next few years and no one would be more proud than me.”

And Ainscough added: “Stormy text me straight after he had heard to tell me how proud of me he was. He has been a great help for me, helping me to plan my schedule and with advice. It was nice to hear.

“I also had a lesson off my coach Andrew Nicholson at Wynyard on the Thursday before last weekend and that helped too. Andrew has been brilliant for me over the years and I just hope I can continue to improve.”