GREENKEEPER Mark Brown will down his tools for the day on Wednesday and pick up his clubs to play alongside some of the greatest names in golf.

The assistant greenkeeper at Brancepeth Castle Golf Club, near Durham, was the lucky winner of the Northern Echo's competition to win a place in the Seve Trophy pro-am event at The Wynyard Club.

Mark, 30, is more used to working with lawnmowers and strimmers, tending the fairways and greens as part of the team working at the Brancepeth Castle course.

But the eight handicapper will line up alongside the likes of golfing legends Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie in Wednesday's pro-am, which also features sporting greats such as Michael Owen, Alan Shearer and Steve Harmison.

For Mark, a greenkeeper at Brancepeth for the past 13 years, it is the chance of a lifetime.

"I nearly fell over when the Northern Echo rang to tell me I'd won the competition," said Mark, of Coxhoe.

"I follow the game and have the chance to play nearly everyday so I know how much it means to be able to play with these names.

"When I told the lads at work I was going to be playing with the likes of Seve Ballesteros, I had a list of people wanting to caddy for me as long as my arm."

l Tickets for the pro-am are still available to buy now via the Seve Trophy website - www.sevetrophy2005.com - or at www.ticketmaster.co.uk, and can also be booked via telephone on 0870 602 1121.

Pro-am tickets cost £12 each with children under 14 free. Tickets can also be bought on the day from kiosks in the Seve Trophy car park at the Wynyard site.