DEVON professional Sean Mason has celebrated one of the most emphatic wins of his career in his final outing for Teign Valley.

Mason will now be representing Exeter Golf and Country Club in tournaments across the country, but there was still time for one final hurrah under the Teign Valley banner.

He blew the field away to win the Derbyshire PGA Overseas Pro-Am in Portugal – after being drafted in as a last-minute call-up following the withdrawal of a Derby pro tour regular.

"I ended up winning the pro-am by eight shots, but was equal first after the first round at Quinta do Lago on -3 with two others," explained Mason.

"We then had a really tough second day at Villa Sol with strong winds. I shot +5 here to end up in second, a shot behind Paul Wesselingh but one ahead of Ian Walley.

"I had played really nicely for the first couple of days but had not capitalised on the greens. A lot of puts slipped by, with no rewards for some good approaches."

Mason's putting improved greatly for the third round back at Quinta do Lago's south course, and his fantastic six-under-par round saw him open up a three-shot lead ahead of the final round at Oceanico.

"Knowing Wesselingh's experience and past achievements, I knew I had to try and go low again and fortunately I got off to a flyer," Mason added.

"I was -3 through five, and -5 through nine. I then struggled slightly on the back nine but no bogeys and one birdie made another 66.

"In fact, I didn't have a bogey in the last 36 holes – I haven't done that in a while!"

Mason was full of thanks to Teign Valley for their support over the last two seasons, which saw him claim number one spot in the West Region Order of Merit as well as several tournament wins.

He regained top form after a season spent reconstructing his golf swing under the guiding eye of Exeter head pro Gary Milne.

The field in Portugal contained several top class tournament professionals, so to beat the field by eight shots shows the effect of the extra practice.

Teign Valley's loss is certainly Exeter's gain, and the club's golf manager Craig Townsend knows it.

"We have one of the strongest line-ups of any West Country club representing us in tournaments," said Townsend.

"With Chris Gill and Sean playing full time this season Exeter Golf and Country Club should always be featuring near the top of the leaderboards."

Milne added: "It will be good to have Sean around, and hopefully he and Gilly can push each other on to achieving their ultimate goal of a place on the European Tour."

● SEAN MASON'S first outing for Exeter Golf & Country Club came in the tenth round of the Devon PGA Winter Order of Merit season at Churston.

He had to settle for a share of third place with 73 alongside Stover's James Langmead and Torbay Driving Range's Neil Holman.

Mason's new club mate Chris Gill topped the leaderboard with a three-under 67 – four shots clear of Fingle Glen's Paul Hendriksen, who knows the Churston course well from his amateur days.

Dartmouth's Stuart Barrett carded a 74 to take a share of fourth spot with Thorne Park's Christian Vine.

Gill has now moved to second in the Order of Merit, but must miss the next round at Stover due to his PGA Diploma commitments.

Leader Barry Austin and third-placed Ashley Moon – who both had disappointing rounds at Churston – will hope to capitalise on Gill's absence.

Devon PGA vice-captain Robin Goodey closed the day by presenting Churston with a cheque for £68 to boost their active junior coaching programme.