STONEHAM assistant pro Ben Johnson achieved what many of golf's biggest names would pay a lot of money for earlier this month by landing a birdie two on the treacherous 17th hole of the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass.

The Florida course is the home of The Players Championship and - especially during the final round - a two on the famous island green 17th is a prized score.

Johnson, competing in a pro-am event run by American Golf Holidays, negotiated the world-famous hole with ease, hitting an eight iron on to the putting surface before canning a 35 foot putt for birdie.

His trip got even better as the 27-year-old went on to complete a round of 73 on the Stadium Course sandwiched in between a 73 at nearby St Johns and a 76 on the Sawgrass Valley Course to finish second in the pro section.

Read the full story in James Rose's golf round-up in today's Daily Echo.