CORHAMPTON’S Scott Gregory is already looking forward to getting another chance to claim the first big win of his career after losing in the final of a national championship for the second time in three years.

Gregory, from the England Golf A squad and ranked 110 in the world, lost the 36-hole final against Frenchman Romain Langasque, at the Real Club de Golf Seville 9&8.

But afterwards he was upbeat about the overall experience as his opponent added the Spanish crown to the British Amateur title he won at Carnoustie, in June.

“I’m disappointed not to have got the win but Romain is an incredible player,” said the 21-year-old, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise from reserve in the Hampshire men’s team just three years ago to the verge of the England international team.

Scott said: “This is the first time I’ve got to the final of an international field event which is a huge positive for me.

“My goal going in to the week was to make the match play stages so there’s nothing but positives to take.

“I putted very well all week and today was just one of those days when nothing really got going.

“It was an incredible experience for next time I’m in this position which, with how my form has been of late, shouldn’t be too far away.

“So a positive week and a lot of things learned about myself and my game.”

The Englishman was trailing Langasque by six holes at lunchtime, as only a birdie by Gregory at the par five 16th and a mistake at the 18th by the French ace gave Scott any encouragement for the afternoon.

Lee-on-Solent’s Sam Hutsby was the last Hamphire player to win the Spanish title – coincidentally won by Yorkshire’s Ryder Cup prospect Danny Willett in 2008.

Hutsby beat Italy’s Edoardo Molinari 7&6 in the 2006 final and Gregory was put out of his misery by Langasque who made birdies at the sixth and ninth, leaving him requiring just a half in fours at the tenth to claim the Copa El Rey and a probable place in the Spanish Open at Valderrama, next month.

Gregory beat Goodwood’s England international Marco Penge 6&5 in the first round of the matchplay, having qualified in 12th place in the 36-hole strokeplay qualifier.

He then knocked out Italy’s Guido Migliozzi, winner of last month’s Portuguese Amateur Championship, at the first extra hole in the quarter-final before booking his place in the final with a 2&1 win over Ireland’s John-Ross Galbraith.

Gregory clearly likes the Spanish sunshine having been part of the four-man England team that won the Costa Ballena Quadrangular international match, back in January.

The famous Copa El Rey, dating back to 1911, bears the names of many golfing greats such as Jose Maria Olazabal, a back-to-back winner in 1984 and Sergio Garcia – the champion in 1998.

Since then the trophy has also been won by Englishmen nine times with the calibre of the Contintenal champions coming in the shape of Gonzaol Fernandez-Castano and Joost Luiten joining other future European Tour players Martin Lafeber (1997) and Jose Manuel Lara (1996).

But at the death, Scott suffered the same fate as clubmate Neil Raymond, who lost in the 2013 final to Northern Ireland’s Reeve Whitson, six months before the two-time Brabazon Trophy winner made his Walker Cup debut against the Americans, in Southampton, near New York.