Lyndsey HewisonRoyal Cromer professional Lee Patterson has a date to play alongside some of the top names in world golf - and he's tuning up his game for the occasion.Lyndsey Hewison

Royal Cromer professional Lee Patterson has a date to play alongside some of the top names in world golf - and he's tuning up his game for the occasion.

Patterson, who has just won the latest Thetford winter pro-am with a two-under par score of 70, is set to take part in next month's Cleveland Golf/Srixon Transatlantic Tussle.

He's secured a place in the Rest of the World team, to be led by Vijay Singh. They'll take on the USA team, captained by Jim Furyk, at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort in Miami. Before the action, they'll watch the final day's play in the World Golf Championship on the Blue Monster Course at Doral in Miami.

The field includes top players such as Miguel Angel Jiminez, David Howell and Boo Weekley and Patterson said: "It will be the experience of a lifetime.

"I'm really looking forward to it - and I'm pleased that we're starting to get some golf in. I wouldn't want to go without having played for months."

Patterson's winning result at Thetford was a timely confidence booster, especially as it was only his third round of the year. "It was a very unexpected pleasure," he said.

His round included five birdies and - most importantly - two of them were on his final two holes. It meant that Paterson moved ahead of his playing partner, Neil Lythgoe of Royal Norwich.

"I was really pleased because the closing holes have been a bit of an Achilles heel for me," he said. "I'm trying to stay positive and manage my mind better so I finish birdie, birdie, rather than bogey, bogey. I want to stop being defensive."

The meeting was played on temporary greens because of early morning frosts, but attracted a good field of 100 players.