Bearsted's Matt Ford was beaten in a play-off at the Italian Challenge Open on Sunday.

Ford's late rally on the final afternoon pushed him into contention and a three-way play-off after Matthew Walker double-bogeyed the last.

Bexleyheath's Alfie Plant would have joined Ford in the play-off but he took three putts on the last hole as well to finish one shot behind Ford on 12-under.

Marcel Schneider bogeyed the first extra hole, leaving Ford and Hurly Long to battle it out. Ford narrowly missed with an excellent chip but that left Long with a 15-foot putt for victory which he duly took.

Despite the defeat, Ford was content to make the play-off after a consistent three rounds.

"I felt happy with it," said Ford. "You can always say what might have been different but I was pleased to get involved in the play-off.

"I thought I was three or four shots behind but I birdied three of the last four holes to get myself to 13-under.

"So it was good just to get there and then anything else would have just been a bonus."

In the play-off, Ford produced two pars but didn't get a birdie opportunity.

"I didn't give myself that opportunity," he said. "My put the first time was close and my chip was close second time around but I never left myself under 30-feet."

Ford produced three consistent rounds, although he felt he could have done even better than his six-under par opening round.

"I played pretty decent, the first round I was annoyed with myself at the end because I bogeyed the last so I could have ended up with seven or eight-under.

"I didn't hit my irons or putt as well the next two days but it was still decent.

"I liked the course, it suited my iron play and I had a new set of irons in the bag which I only put in two weeks ago.

"I've changed the shaft and it seems to have made it more comfortable for me.

"It's been really good lately, and I've been playing some good stuff.

"You can always think what might have been - and, yes, it was £20,000 different and possibly a change in category if I'd won.

"But other guys had bad luck stories worse than me.

"I'm playing well and there's still an opportunity to win a tournament or get into the top five for the Road To Mallorca."

Ford and his fellow golfers on the Challenge Tour are classed as elite athletes.

it means they avoid quarantine measures but it also means they have to stay within the confines of their hotel and live in the 'bubble'.

"We're working in a safe environment with the amount of testing that we do as well," said Ford.

"When we're in the bubble, it's literally just the hotel and the golf course.

"You're not allowed to go out for dinner, in Italy I like the ice-creams, a caprese salad or pizza but we were stuck in the hotel and they were doing the food for 100 players!"

Ford competes in the PGA Professional Championship from Tuesday at Trentham GC in Staffordshire.

He's able to compete for the first time in his 17-year pro career due to the lighter schedule this year and a previous change in the rules.

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