Kent professional Steven Tiley won the 85th Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship following a dramatic final day at Nailcote Hall in Warwickshire.
The 35-year-old Challenge Tour player from Canterbury shot two rounds of 51 on the Cromwell Course for a six-under-par total of 102 to clinch victory by a shot from Nottinghamshire professional Andrew Marshall.
Tiley, who has enjoyed spells on the European Tour, was presented with the trophy and the €50,000 first prize by tournament host Tony Jacklin.
The Kent man had to fight off the attentions of Marshall, playing partner Craig Lawrie – son of former Open champion Paul – and European Tour player Aaron Rai before he was able to finally get his hands on the title.
EuroPro Tour player Marshall was left to rue a costly double bogey on the third hole, while Lawrie’s challenge faded with a bogey on the 13th. Rai, whose final round included a hole-in-one, saw his shot at glory disappear with a double bogey on the last, which saw him drop into a threw-way tie for fourth with Mark McNulty and Ashley Mason.
McNulty’s 105 score was good enough to win the Super Seniors title by one shot from Costantino Rocca, with the Italian missing out on a share of the spoils after dropping a shot on the final hole.
Speaking of his first British Par 3 championship victory, Tiley said: “It was great to play out there today. Andrew [Marshall] put in a fantastic performance to keep me on my toes, as did my playing partner Craig. It is always good to go into battle with people who are also playing well.”
The Norma C Herd Silver Salver, which is awarded to the day’s best scoring amateur, was won by David Nelson, who finished on four over par, while the best round of the week was scored by Gary Wolstenholme, who fired a six-under 48 on the final day to move up into a share of 12th.
The four-day tournament also included two Celeb-Am events, which attracted a strong cast list of stars from stage, screen and sport.
The first was won by Irish football legend Steve Staunton with a one-over par 35, while the second was won by 52-year-old former Wolves striker Don Goodman with a three-over-par 37, which included four birdies.
The first team event was won by The Social Golfer’s Ian Halliwell, Roger Hurcombe and Steven Skitt with a score of 12 under, alongside darts legend Colin Lloyd; while the second was won by a team representing tournament sponsors Farmfood, who combined to score nine under par.
For a complete list of scores, visit http://britishpar3.com