Matthew Ellis kept his clubs in the locker for most of the winter as he pursued his new hobby of snowboarding.
But the 31-year-old Romiley professional proved he'd lost none of his golfing skills as he put the skids under the rest of a big field in the Mansell Finishes Winter Pro-am Series at Ormskirk.
And he also had to play through a nagging groin pain on his way to a three-under-par 67 to win by a one shot from Swinton Park assistant David Smith and Bolton-based Steve Parry.
"I'm really into snowboarding but it will never replace golf," said Ellis who even took advantage of the icy winter by hurtling down the 14th fairway at his club.
He dropped a shot at his opening hole, the ninth, but atoned for the lapse with four birdies.
Parry, who runs a golf school at Hart Common, holds a 128-point lead over Davenport assistant Graham Cox in the Order of Merit but with 400 available in the last of the six events at West Lancs on April 7 any of the leading eight players can take the title.
16 March, 2010