ADAM Chapman produced the rounds of his career to claim victory in the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour Sky Sports Tour Championship.

The Windermere golfer, in his first year as a professional, gained his maiden title at the perfect moment, to claim his card for the 2018 Challenge Tour.

Chapman led from wire-to-wire in Portugal, aceing the second in the second round on his way to rounds of 68, 68 and 71 for a nine-under-par total of 207, three shots clear of Korea's MK Kim.

The win earned Chapman £22,540 and catapulted him from 54th on the tour order of merit to third – thus earning him the place on the Challenge Tour, one level below the European Tour itself.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” said Carus Green Golf Club player Chapman, a former Cumbria county representative.

“For the first time in my life I was speechless and still think I’m dreaming!

“I was due a big win and with the weather windy, conditions really suited my play.”

Chapman led from the front against an extremely competitive field.

His second round included the hole-in-one on the second, followed by birdies at the next three holes, as he finished with a four-shot lead going into the final round, at eight-under.

“I saw my playing partner hit an eight-iron short just before, but I still hit it with an eight-iron, perhaps just slightly fuller,” he said of his ace. “ When it popped in, it was high-fives all around. It took me a few minutes to process what was going on, but it felt great.”

Chapman started his final round in less than convincing fashion, picking up two bogies and just one birdie in his first six holes, while Kim hit three birdies to tie the lead.

“In a way, it put my mind off the title and made me get a grip of myself,” Chapman told the tour website, europrotour.com. “I preferred being level trying to chase the win; I almost felt too comfortable with a four-shot lead.”

After picking up the ace in his second round, he almost repeated the feat on the 11th hole on his final round, and said: “I wasn’t attacking the pin as it was 163 yards into wind, but I pulled it. As I hit it I really thought this can’t happen again.”

Chapman restored his lead to three shots heading into the last few holes, and added: “It didn’t feel comfortable at all, with Kim knocking flags out for fun it was tough, he is some talent.”

Andrew Pickering, who has been coaching Chapman for the past two years at Carus Green, was delighted with the result.

He said “We are all thrilled for Adam on his tremendous achievement and his hard graft this season has clearly paid off.

“We’ve been working on elements of his game such as his putting, which has really improved and on-going swing work.

“Adam has been driving well all year and hits the ball so well off the tee; that has partly enabled him to successfully compete at this level.”

Chapman praised the staff at his home club for their help, and said: “I’d like to thank the entire team at Carus Green and, in particular, Graham Curtin, Maurice Cotter and Adam Lynn, who has been helping me with my putting. And, of course, a huge thanks to Andrew Pickering.”

Highlights from Chapman's win will be shown on Sky Sports Golf on Tuesday, November 7.