MICHAEL Watson has won the Order of Merit title for the first time in more than 20 years.

The Wessex Golf Centre professional will now head to Turkey for the West Region play-offs in November.

Former European Tour champion David Dixon (Enmore Park) beat player-of-the-season Watson by one shot in the latest tournament at the Marston’s Championship at The Players Club, near Bristol Dixon was coasting until he made eight at the par three, 13th after despatching two tee-shots into the water.

The five-shot swing brought Watson back into the contest and both players were then level at seven-under-par for the tournament.

The pair swapped shots until the 156-yard 16th when Watson, from Weymouth, pulled his seven-iron into the water to fall one behind. And that was how it ended.

Watson took 69 and admitted he struggled on the back nine.

He said: “I three-putted 10 and when he birdied 11 and 12 it looked all over.

“I played poorly from then but I have achieved my season’s objective. I’ve won the Order of Merit at last and am looking forward to the play-offs.”

The pair will be joined in Turkey by Richard Dinsdale (Parc Golf Academy) who claimed third spot despite finishing a disappointing 27th.

Fresh from fifth place in the Glenmuir PGA Championship at Blairgowrie, former Broadstone assistant Tracy Loveys (Bigbury) from Weymouth carded two-over-par 74 to beat Jamie-Lee Casling (Brickhampton Court) by five shots to bec-ome the first-ever women’s champion.