Bearsted golfer Matt Ford held his nerve to win the Virgin Atlantic Southern Open Championship.

He sunk a nine foot putt for a birdie four on the first play-off hole after matching clubhouse leader Richard Wallis’ score of 12 under par.Ford, who won £1,800, started slowly at the Drift Golf Club in Surrey but three rounds of 69 proved his ability to find birdies when it mattered.

He said: “I got straight off a plane from a Challenge Tour event at 3am on Monday and after a few hours’ sleep, headed here for my first round start at 1pm.

“So I’m not surprised I made the odd bogey to begin with but I seemed to hit the right gear and find the birdies.

“My game was generally pretty good but my pitching was consistently bad throughout, although the play-off hole was probably the best all week.”