JOHN FERNANDES followed in his elder brother's footsteps by winning the St Ignatius College Golf Championship recently.

The 15-year-old, from Edmonton, put in a pulsating round to claim victory at Whitehill Golf Club, in Ware.

The St Ignatius College student's success came seven years after elder brother Thomas won the same title.

And with Thomas now in Kansas, in the USA, on a golf scholarship, John has every right to look forward to a positive future.

John, a member of Enfield Golf Club, posted a level par round of 72 on the hilly course.

His gross was five shots under his playing handicap, and 12 out of 14 fairways and 25 putts secured the win.

The championship has been running since 1994, driven by now retired and keen golfer Gerry East.

The format used at last month's event was stableford, which can benefit higher handicappers on a hot streak, but did not deter John, who scored on every hole for a total of 41 points to finish three clear of his nearest rival.

John's score somewhat surprised the tournament organisers, but not father Agnelo, who walks every single competitive round that his sons play, keeping notes for discussion with the boys.

John also received some valuable advice from his brother to help him stay ahead of his rivals.

Over the last few months, John has been in the form of his life.

He helped Enfield Golf Club to the league title, winning all but one of his matches, claimed victory in the Friern Junior League Championship, winning both his semi-final and final 6&5, and in the regionals at Frilford Heath, he posted an impressive score of 75.

With the season now at a close, John is concentrating on his GCSE exams, although a call from the England selectors for next season can't be too far away.