A TITLE-WINNING birdie blitz saw Terry Brushwood clinch the Karl Curran Golfer of the Year Trophy for the first time.

The Bingley St Ives player pipped Northcliffe’s Rob Malloy to the crown by one point, thanks to his triumph in the Bradford Union Amateur Matchplay.

Brushwood produced some fantastic golf in the season-ending competition, beating Malloy 2&1 in the last eight, club mate Andy Town by the same score in the semi-finals and Cleckheaton’s Martin Gaffney 3&2 in the final at Northcliffe.

He said: “From the quarter-final to winning it, I had 23 birdies. I was four down after eight to Rob at Shipley but then had seven birdies to beat him.

“And the semi-final against Towny was such a tough game. I had ten birdies but only beat him 2&1. He played brilliantly and didn’t deserve to lose but I got a bit lucky with the putter.”

It is the second time in three years that Brushwood has won the matchplay crown, the 43-year-old having also claimed it back in 2003.

He admits it is a format which suits his temperament. “I’m quite placid and nothing really fazes me,” he said.

“I take it as it comes and if I hit a bad shot I just move on.”

His victory saw him surge to the top of the Golfer of the Year standings – points are awarded across Bradford and Yorkshire Inter-District Union competitions throughout the season – and left him delighted to win the trophy for the first time.

In a campaign where Bingley St Ives retained their Scratch League title, Brushwood paid tribute to his club for their part in his success.

He said: “It’s nice to win it and nice for the club. It all stems from having a good captain and a good team spirit. We are all spurring each other on.

“We want to win the league again next year and will be practising hard through the winter to come back better as everyone will want to beat us.”

Meanwhile, in other matchplay competitions, Shipley’s Jamie Mountain and Calum Hey were crowned foursomes champions and Northcliffe’s Jordan Clements beat Ben Barker to win the junior final. Skipton’s Alan Speak and Michael Hirst won the handicap competition.

* See today's T&A for Karl Curran Trophy points breakdown