EAST HORTON'S Russell Tate scooped the biggest prize ever offered in a Hampshire pro-am tournament when he won the £5,000 winner-takes-all first prize in the Portsmouth News Tournament at Quindell Golf and Country Club.

For Tate, the former Hampshire Open and Hampshire PGA Matchplay champion, the prize was nearly five times bigger than his previous best pay day as a professional.

And to pocket it, he had to beat off opposition which included current European Tour player Matt Blackey and former Ryder Cup man Steve Richardson, who now works as a coach at the Quindell Club in Fareham.

Tate, pictured right, teeing off at the tenth, got his round off to an electrifying birdie, eagle start. Despite a bogey at the 12th, further birdies at the 17th and 18th saw him reach the turn four under par. Three more birdies in his closing nine holes, offset by bogeys at the third and sixth, saw him home in 65 - five under par.

As one of the early starters he then had to endure an agonising three-hour wait while the other 24 professionals tried to beat his score.

It tested his nerves to the full as Blackey and fellow European Tour pro Phil Golding and local favourites David Porter, Simon Pink and James Pitcher all came within one shot. Richardson finished with a level par 70.

Cams Hall's Jason Neve provided the shot of the day, though. After starting from the tenth, struggling over his opening nine holes and reaching the turn three-over-par, he holed his tee shot at the 287-yard first and went on to shoot a three-under-par 67.

Simon Pink's consolation for missing out on the £5,000 jackpot was victory in the pro-am with his team of Nick Hurst, Nigel Bowley and David Stubbs. Their 18-under total was two better than Kevin Saunders' (Walhampton) team of James Farrelly, Daniel Brown and Mark Francis.