If you've ever dreamed of swanning around the world playing golf at the best courses and finest resorts at someone else's expense, then you should pehaps look away now.
For that was precisely the prize on offer to the lucky winner of 'The Ultimate Job in Golf' competition organised by golf travel company Your Golf Travel.com.
More than 8,000 candidates applied for the 12-month, £50,000 dream job, and after several rounds of 'interviews', 11-handicapper Chris Wandell emerged triumphant having beaten 20 rivals at a grand final held on Celtic Manor's Twenty Ten Course, venue for this year's Ryder Cup.
Wandell, a 31-year-old London Business School graduate from America, reeled off 11 points on the last four holes to take his total to 36 and force a two-way play-off. After replaying the par-five 18th, the competitors were still inseparable, and with darkness drawing in, it came down to a nearest-the-pin contest from 150 yards - one shot, one job. Wandell's effort landed within 12ft of the flag to win the competition, a replica claret jug and a year playing golf on some of the world's most famous courses.
After he finalises his travel itinerary and gets his round-the-world airfare, the first official engagement for Your Golf Travel's new global product development manager will be at next month's US Masters, followed by rounds at Pebble Beach, Sawgrass, St Andrews and several other major championship venues.
Wandell will travel thousands of miles and play hundreds of holes, writing reviews and negotiating rates to give the company's customers the best value, feedback and experiences on their golfing holidays.
After winning, a delighted Wandell said: "I am overwhelmed to have won the dream job. I never thought I'd have the opportunity to travel the world playing the best courses on the planet. It was like Watson and Nicklaus's duel in the sun out there, but just in the dark!"
