Southport, England: Joe Long savoured success at Royal Birkdale to win The 125th Amateur Championship.

The 23-year-old Lansdown member showed composure over the renowned links in Southport to defeat fellow-Englishman and good friend Joe Harvey 4&3 in an exciting 36-hole final.

Long, the first Englishman since Harry Ellis in 2017 to win The Amateur Championship, said: “I was never behind and just stuck at it. I have been behind in a lot of matches before and still turned it around but it is always hard when you are up against it. So, it was nice to be in control. I thought to myself not to do anything stupid.

“It’s really good and hard at the same time because we both wanted to do well. He is a really good mate and when I win it is hard to see him lose. But it is all part of the sport we play and the match was played in a great spirit.”

By virtue of his triumph, Long gained exemptions into The 149th Open at Royal St George’s next year, and by tradition, an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament and an exemption into the US Open.

Long said: “Wow! When you say all the exemptions ... it’s going to be incredible. This is what I have worked hard for since I started playing golf. I really stuck in there and battled, I am just so chuffed.

“I played Royal St George’s maybe four years ago in the South East Links and I remember it being a tough track. So that is going to be a good battle. It’s just going to be awesome and I am going to enjoy the experience of playing in The Open. It’s going to be huge.”

Ranked 103rd on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) , Long was never behind against Harvey as he came out on top of the 120-player international field who assembled at Royal Birkdale for the club’s fourth staging of the championship.

Played without spectators due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Long didn’t let the lack of crowds get in the way of his excellent play. His day included plenty of highlights, particularly on the greens, where his superb putting skills included draining a clutch 30-footer for par to halve the 14th and an impressive 40-foot birdie putt at the 25th hole.

After The Kendleshire’s Harvey recorded back-to-back bogeys on the 28th and 29th holes, Long moved four ahead with seven holes left in the match. The pair traded pars on the next three holes.

Long had another 30-foot birdie putt to close out the match on the 32nd hole, on a similar line to his morning round, but as that finished just shy of the hole, he went onto close out the match on the 33rd hole, halving it with a birdie four after rolling in a 15-foot putt.

Long is the 51st English winner of The Amateur and joins a list of past champions that include Major winners José María Olazábal, Sergio Garcia and, more recently, Matteo Manassero and Romain Langasque.