AFTER claiming his second amateur title in the space of a week, Rob Dinwiddie hopes his achievements have forced Walker Cup team selectors into an impossible position.

On Sunday the Barnard Castle golfer added the Welsh crown to the Scottish championship he won seven days earlier and, he believes he should have done enough to warrant an inclusion in the Great Britain & Ireland team.

Since a disappointing finish in the British Amateur there is very little more Dinwiddie could have done to book his place on the flight to Chicago in August.

And the 22-year-old is hopeful the selectors will see sense. "They have been watching me in both tournaments. That's eight rounds so that's got to be a positive thing," he said.

"I knew I had to do well in the Scottish and the Welsh to stand any chance and now that I have done that I would like to think I have made it hard for the people picking the team.

"It's all down to the selectors now.

"I can't do anything more. It's already a difficult situation for them because they have to leave players out but I have won two tournaments and I'm feeling good about my game.

"I certainly want to be a part of this year's Walker Cup and when the team is selected on July 2 it would nice to see my name on it."

Having waited for years to win his first major title, the fact that two have come along in such a short space of time have been more special.

It is no coincidence the triumphs have arrived at his doorstep in his first summer since graduating from Tennessee University in the United States - meaning he can focus solely on his game.

And Dinwiddie, who hopes to take his first step towards qualifying for The Open at Alwoodley on July 4, is hopeful that he can continue to progress at the speed he has been in recent months.

"I have been improving every year and I know that," said Dinwiddie. "But this is the first year that I have been able to concentrate on golf 100 per cent.

"Being at University studying meant that I was unable to do as much practising as I would have liked.

"That's not the case now and I am benefiting from that.

"It's not that I've changed anything to my game in the past two weeks, I have just spent more time on general things like club alignment.

"You can never be content in golf and I'm always looking to make adjustments if it means I will improve. There are always little things you can do and that's what I have been doing."

Dinwiddie clinched the Welsh Amateur Stroke Play title at Harlech's Royal St David's Links by defeating Scotland's George Murray in a play-off.

Both completed their 18 holes on eight under par but Dinwiddie became champion on the first extra hole when he parred the 14th.

l Reigning champions Durham failed to repeat last year's heroics in the Northern Counties Championship at the weekend - but Yorkshire booked their place in the national finals.

Northumberland pushed the eventual winners all the way at High Gosforth Park but, Yorkshire came out on top when their last three players finished under par. With John Parry's 66 the best of the lot.

Durham's hopes of another win disappeared early on when Ryan Riley had a first round 82, although he did redeem himself with a second round 72. Best for Durham was Ramside's Ian Parnaby who shot 70, 70.

Big Six results: Yorkshire 851; Northumberland 863; Cheshire 872; Durham 882; Lancashire 883; Cumbria 885; Isle of Man 913.

* Unheralded Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano has staked his claim for a place in the Seve Trophy 2005 at the Wynyard club and a chance to play alongside his boyhood idol.

The 24-year-old from Madrid shocked the European Tour with his maiden win in his rookie year at the KLM Open in Hilversumsche, Holland, earlier this month.

The victory has propelled Fernandez-Castano into a qualification spot for the Seve Trophy at Wynyard, via the European Tour's Order of Merit - and raised the possibility of lining up in the Continental Europe side led by boyhood hero Seve Ballesteros.

Ironically, Fernandez-Castano's first European Tour victory mirrors that of his idol - a 19-year-old Seve lifting the same Dutch Open title back in 1976, announcing the arrival of a new sporting superstar. Since then, Seve has gone on to win 87 tournaments worldwide in a glittering career.

Qualification for the Seve Trophy continues this week at the Open De France at Le Golf National, Paris, one of the European Tour's longest standing events.

Published: 24/06/2005