Rotherham-based Lucas Martin successfully defended the North of England Amateur trophy as he topped the leaderboard at Seaton Carew.
Lucas, who won the event last season at Selby, led the field with a nine under-par total – which included a course record 64 on the morning of the final day on the Micklem layout at Seaton. That seven under-par round followed his back-to-back rounds of 70 on the opening two days, and Lucas completed the victory with a level-par 71 as Hunstanton-based Ben Willis finished four shots back in second place.
“It’s brilliant to have defended the title,” said Lucas. “I love it up at Seaton Carew, it’s somewhere I tend to play well every time I visit.
“The 64 was built around my performance from tee to green. When I put my stats in after the round, I was pretty much level on strokes gained putting, so it was an all-round performance, not one where I holed everything. It was one of those rounds where, before I knew it, I was seven under-par. I got into a mode where I felt I could birdie every hole on the back nine, which is a great feeling to find on the final day of an event.
“That round in the morning set me up to go out and win. Having played so well, I just wanted to go out and do the same thing again in the afternoon. After finding a divot with my tee shot on the first, I had a tricky chip and managed to get up and down. That settled any nerves and I got into it from there, kept it in play, hit the middle of greens and got the job done.”
The win at Seaton Carew added to Lucas’ success in the British Universities and College Sport (BUCS) English & Welsh Championship and the R&A Student Tour Series Final at St Andrews at the start of the season.
“I’m really happy with my 2025 season,” added Lucas. “There are always areas to improve, and I have a plan to do that this winter, but overall I’m happy with the year.
“The three individual wins stand out – particularly the one at The Old Course at St Andrews. I’ve also really enjoyed the team successes this season – with the Rotherham boys and with the Yorkshire county team.”
Meanwhile at Seaton, the County Plate, which is played for over the first 36 holes by counties represented by two or more players in the field, was won by Hertfordshire – represented by Max Hopkins and George Durkan.
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