Matt Ford kept a cool head in the heat to land an impressive tournament win last week.

The 35-year-old, from Bearsted, shot a course record nine-under-par 63 to win the Stella Di Mare International Pro-Am in Egypt.

Ford finished 16-under, having earlier carded rounds of 69 and 68. His closest challengers, Danny Belch and Ian Keenan, were both five shots back.

He said: “I started with five birdies and I had a putt for an eagle to go six under through five, which would have been even more amazing. It was a good week.

“The season’s just starting, really. I’ve done some pre-season work and went out there just to get some competitive golf in nice weather.”

As the temperature soared, Ford’s game improved.

He said: “I seem to like the heat, I perform better in those kind of conditions.

“The weather was awesome; on the last day it was almost 40C. We weren’t carrying bags, we were in the buggies so there was a bit of air flowing around. That made it a bit easier.”