TJ FORD got in the zone and made history by becoming the first player from County Sligo Golf Club to win the prestigious South of Ireland Championship at sun-drenched Lahinch.

Where Cecil Ewing fell to the great John Burke in 1945 and Sean McTernan lost to Colm Moriarty 19 years ago, Ford brilliantly succeeded by claiming the 119th edition of the Pierse Motor Volkswagen sponsored championship with a resounding 5&4 win over Dun Laoghaire’s Alan Fahy.

The Sligo man (24) defeated Fortwilliam’s Hugh O’Hare 2&1 in yesterday’s semi-finals with still severely blistered feet, then made seven birdies in 14 holes in the final to put one arm in an Irish blazer for September’s Home Internationals.

“I can’t believe it,” Ford said after rolling in a 10-footer to close out the match with three successive birdies. “I’m in shock, to be honest. It was such an amazing week with the weather and everyone was so friendly. It’s unbelievable.

“I dreamt of winning from the very first hole, so I had to quench those thoughts. Being from Rosses Point, the West was the championship I always had a putt to win on the practice putting green, but this is as good as it gets.

“My game to green was really strong and I didn’t really make any mistakes. I was a little bit nervous over some short putts but thankfully I didn’t leave myself too many of them. I just played out of my skin to be honest. People talk about the zone and I don’t know how I got into it but I’m thankful I did.”

Former Munster Strokeplay champion Fahy (23) beat Enniscorthy’s Paul Conroy 3&2 in his semi-final but he ran out of steam in the afternoon.

“The first couple of drives were absolute wings, and that just knocked my whole long game off, and I lost a bit of confidence,” Fahy confessed. “I was putting well, but I couldn’t hit a fairway at the right time. He won a few key holes that killed me off. TJ was just too steady.”

Ford three-putted the first to fall behind but won the second and fourth in birdies and the sixth with a conceded par to go two up before rolling in a seven-footer for a two at the eighth to extend his lead.

He then rolled in an 18 footer at the ninth, but while Fahy matched his birdie from six feet and then knocked in a 25 footer for par at the 10th to remain just three down, the Wicklow man’s three-putt for a half in bogeys at the 11th proved key.

“The putt on nine was obviously a really big putt to keep the momentum on my side,” Ford said. “Then on the 10th, he holed a big putt for par and I left mine in the jaw. Had I go four up there it would’ve been a really comfortable position but I just left it short. But if he makes his put on the 11 for par that’s obviously a big momentum shift again.”

Fahy then lost the 12th when he drove into the Mine and with 230 yards to the pin, Ford hit a six-iron the front edge and two-putted for birdie to go four up.

“I wasn’t really planning on trying to get the green,” Ford said. “I was just trying to get it up there near the front because he was going to be struggling for birdie. “Thankfully I got a good bounce and it just kicked up onto the green”

Both men drove the 13th, but Fahy’s 25-foot eagle putt lipped out and after they halved that in birdie, Ford fired an eight-iron to 10 feet at the 14th and closed out the match.

“On 13 the wind was off the right and I struggle with a slice, so it was a perfect shot for me and I was happy to see it end up 15 feet away,” Ford added. “He hit an unbelievable putt. I don’t know how it lipped out. It was absolute robbery.”

As for the final birdie, he said: “I was in the rough but the lie was okay.  I had 190 to the pin and I hit an eight iron, just trying to find the front and let it run up.

“It was really 160 shot and it finished up about 10 feet away. My head was kind of racing and I knew it was a putt to win. I was kind of adding up in my head how many holes I had left and what I had to do to win. I was thinking about that while I was over it but thankfully it went in. I could see it was tracking and it just dropped. It was incredible feeling. So many people got up at half five and traveled up to see the golf. I’m so thankful for that.”

As for his future, it doesn’t include turning pro but he hopes it includes more titles.

“I’ve spent enough time with the lads who are playing on the mini-tours at the moment, and I know how good they are,”  the Maynooth University golf graduate said. “So I will keep going in the amateur game as long as I can.”

As for that dream of winning the West, he added: “Getting the first one is the hardest, but I know now that it can be reality.”

South of Ireland Amateur Open, sponsored by Pierse Motors Volkswagen, Lahinch GC

Semi-finals

TJ Ford (Co. Sligo) bt Hugh O’Hare (Fortwilliam) 2&1;

Alan Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) bt Paul Conroy (Enniscorthy) 3&2.

Final

TJ Ford bt Alan Fahy 5&4.