A seven under par 133 total when he needed it most resurrected Steve Fenn's career when he won the Sussex PGU Riseborough Memorial at Bognor.

Victory by three strokes and a £500 cheque broke a spell of three lean years for the East Brighton assistant.

Since Fenn, 31, won the Riseborough at Littlehampton in 2000, the edge on his game had become increasingly blunted.

Here and there came the odd pro-am win but lack of success in a sizeable tourney led to a drain on his confidence.

This time last year he was on the verge of getting a job and applying for re-instatement as an amateur.

But he regained his form at Bognor with rounds of 65 and 68 while many of his fellow professionals struggled on greens that had been hollowtined the previous week.

The work left the putting surfaces dimpled and difficult to read.

Yet Fenn had no complaints. He said; "I putted well considering the state of the greens. They were just marginal but I hit it solidly all day.

"Sometimes they went in, sometimes they didn't. The important thing was that I didn't allow myself to get stressed. I had only one bogey all day and couldn't have had a better score than I did."

Eighteen months ago, Fenn left Ifield, the club he had joined as an 11-year-old in his native Crawley, to move to East Brighton. Then he was at his lowest ebb. Six visits to the Tour school ended in failure each time.

"I was depressed and seriously considered packing it in and reverting to amateur. But, at the beginning of this year I got married and it has settled me down. I have got my hunger and flavour for the game back."

Fenn's 65 included six birdies. As he neared the end of his second round he knew 70 would be good enough after his nearest challengers failed to raise the stakes.

Other sub-par rounds indicated that putting was not that much of an ordeal. Alan Harrison canned a 50-footer for an eagle at the seventh in the morning on his way to a 72 and squeezed into the final frame seven shots behind Fenn.

Nevertheless he wryly observed: "The greens were good, if you could read braille.

Graeme Crompton predicted: "A pinball wizard is going to win this."

Steve Bassil, the Bognor pro, said the vital work had to be carried out and due notice been given.

Leading scores 133 Steve Fenn (East Brighton) 65, 68.

136 Joel O'Hara (Tilgate Forest) 69, 67.

138 Jason Partridge (Piltdown) 67, 71; Gordon Murray (Holtye) 66, 72.

139 Christian Fogden (Goodwood Park) 71, 68; Andrew Milligan (Piltdown) 72, 67.

140 Mark Stuart-William (East Brighton) 71, 69; Darren Cook (West Hove) 71, 69; Charlie Giddins (Beauport Park) 71, 69; Alan Harrison (Royal Eastbourne) 72, 68.

141 Martin Chalcraft (Seaford) 71, 70; Julian Reason (Nevill) 69, 72.