Essex golfer Jason Levermore won the London Open Golf Championship

Levermore was forced to take on Portelli in a play-off at West Essex Golf Club after the duo finished on level terms at three-under par after two rounds of play.

The Essex golfer looked to have the tournament in the palm of his hand when he needed to two-putt from only six feet on the last hole, but his effort rolled agonisingly wide, forcing a tense play-off.

However, after the first two additional holes were drawn, it was Levermore who would seize his opportunity on the third.

Having parred the third hole, the pressure was on Portelli to match his competitor but the Barnet golfer’s wayward effort as he approached the green would prove to be costly, meaning he finished on a bogey.

That result handed Levermore his ninth Order of Merit tournament victory and a first since 2012.

Rob Coles secured third place after a timely birdie on the last hole while former European Tour winners Simon Khan and Ray Russell shared fourth spot alongside Aaron Cox.

Coles, however, would enjoy better fortunes in the Pro-Am tournament with partner Chris Blakebrough, with the duo finishing at the top of the leaderboard with a tally of 126, two shots clear of second place.

The biggest winner of the weekend was Levermore though, who was pleased to return to winning ways after a ‘steady’ display.

He said: “I’ve not won a great deal lately, so if someone had said to me at the start of the day that I’d finish second I’d have been happy with that.

“Going in to the play-offs there was not much to lose and I played the three holes nicely.

“It’s great to win. I hit 15 greens on the first day and 15, maybe 16 greens the second day, so I’ve just been very steady. I made only two bogies over the two days.”

Meanwhile, there was obvious disappointment for second place Portelli, who said: “I should have seen it through. But it could have been worse. I could’ve not even been in the play-offs.

“But definitely, next time, I want to try and finish a bit stronger.”