Yorkshire golf: Birdie blast ends Jamie Bower's hopes of third South African tour victory

The 22-year-old's disappointment today should eventually give way to a feeling of pride over a six-week performance that has seen him rise through the amateur rankings into the world's top 50.

He won the first of six events he played in, the Gauteng North Open, and also the Southern Cape Open before reaching the last eight of the national championship at George GC.

Loris Schuepbach ended Bower's hopes of closing the tour with England Golf men's squad as he had begun it, the Swiss winning 4&3.

The match had begun brightly for the Meltham man, a birdie to his opponent's bogey giving him an immediate one-up lead.

Schuepbach responded immediately with a birdie at the second to restore parity and was two up through five after Bower bogeyed the third and the fifth.

The Swiss faltered at the sixth and his lead was halved and Bower's birdie at eight brought him back level.

The Yorkshireman played par golf for the next six holes, but found himself three adrift as Schuepbach birdied 10, 11 and 14.

The match ended at the next hole when a bogey from Bower handed his opponent victory.

Although Bower did not quite manage to match his feat of last summer when he reached the semi-finals of the English Amateur championship at Alwoodley GC, he may rise even higher than his current world ranking of 45 due to his performance at George GC.

YUGC secretary Keith Dowswell praises Jamie Bower's South African achievementsJamie Bower's progress to the last eight at George GC