MATT FORD, club champion at Bearsted Golf Club near Maidstone, came second in this year’s Golf World-Jameson Champion of Champions final, writes Steve Hemsley.

Ford, 24, shot rounds of 72 and 73 to give him a one under par total of 145. This left him just two shots off the winning score achieved by Gary Lockerbie from Penrith, who represents England.

The Champion of Champions event is sponsored by Jameson Irish Whiskey and is establishing itself as a major tournament for the elite of the amateur ranks.

The final was played at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire and attracted the strongest field in the event’s history with 51 of Britain’s best amateur players vying for the overall crown.