BURY golfer Rodney Duckworth is bidding to win a trip to Las Vegas.

The amateur, who plays off a handicap of 18, and his Turton PGA professional partner Sean Owen must first come through the regional final of Europe's biggest pro-am competition, the Virgin Atlantic PGA National Pro-Am Championship. Duckworth took his first big step towards a luxury trip to the grand final at the Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort between December 2-8 when he won the club qualifying competition with a nett score of 61. He and Owen now advance to St Annes Old Links Golf Club on July 13, one of 16 regional finals, where they will play one round of better-ball medal play.

The winners at each regional final will secure their place on board a Virgin Atlantic jet for the 36-hole Grand Final at the Jack Nicklaus-designed SouthShore Course.

The tournament, which is supported by SkyCaddie and BMW, draws in more than 50,000 competitors from across Great Britain and Ireland and is now its 27th year. The award-winning Virgin Atlantic long haul airline is sponsoring the event for the third successive year. The PGA National Pro-Am has a prize fund of £30,000, with the winning professional at the Grand Final winning £5,000.