FIRST there was Neil Raymond, a two-time Brabazon Trophy winner, followed by Hampshire’s first-ever home-grown British Amateur Champion, Scott Gregory. Now Jamie Markwick is setting out his stall to become the latest Corhampton golfer to make his name on the stage as one of the UK’s leading amateurs (writes Andrew Griffin).

Having been picked out by England Golf as one to watch two years ago when he was first named in its U16 South East training squad, he is now in the small group of Surrey and Hampshire-based players whose development is monitored at U18 level.

But the biggest marker the former Swanmore College student has put down is he is only the second Hampshire player to win the South-East Junior Championship after it was held at Moor Park, near Watford.

The South-East Juniors has been won by a host of European Tour stalwarts including Peter Oosterhuis, Peter Townsend, Carl Mason and BBC commentator Ken Brown in the 1960s and ’70s.

More recently Luke Donald, Zane Scotland and Anthony Wall were winners in the 1990s and future Ryder Cup players including Paul Casey, Ross Fisher and Tyrrell Hatton – who should make his debut against the USA in France in September – have all featured in it over the past 20 years.

Jamie’s victory might not have come in an ideal manner – torrential rain after a thunderstorm forced the organisers to suspend play for several hours after abandoning the second round.

But Markwick, who had already posted the best round of the day with a 71 was forced to sit around while the water drained off the famous High Course, a regular host of the prestigious Carris Trophy – the England Boys Amateur Strokeplay.

He had to wait until the players who had not completed their first rounds were able to get back out so the competition could finally be settled over 18 holes.

Jamie said: “Obviously it is not ideal to win a tournament shortened because of the weather.

“Ask any player who plays at this sort of level and you want to win the trophy by beating everyone fair and square – and with the conditions pretty much the same for everyone.

“But looking back already, that situation created its own pressures and challenges, particularly mentally, having to sit around knowing I had the best score in, and then waiting to find out if the one player who could theoretically catch me, could finish it off.

“At one point he was left needing something ridiculous like two, two, two, over three holes to beat me, but they could not say it was done until it was completely mathematically impossible.

“I had to be ready in case he tied me as they might have held a play-off if there was no more rain.

“At the end of the day, it does not say 18 holes-only on the trophy and it is a great championship to have got my name on the winner’s board at such a great place like Moor Park.

“Further down the road, the kind of things that go through your head in that situation – wondering if you have won, or if you are going to have to go out to play – will have been a good experience to have under my belt this early in my career.”