JORDAN Smith is celebrating his maiden Challenge Tour victory after holding off all combers at the Red Sea Egyptian Challenge today.

The 23-year-old, from Derry Hill, continued his impressive form at Sokhna Golf Club to shoot a three-under-par 69 to reach 18 under par overall, holding off a host of challengers as he took his tally of birdies for the week to 23.

Wiltshire man Smith finished two shots ahead of Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach, England’s Garrick Porteous and Austria’s Manuel Trappe and was delighted with a landmark win.

“I can’t quite get my head around it at the moment,” Smith told europeantour.com.

“I can’t believe what’s just happened. I’m just speechless really. Everything’s running through my mind and I’m trying to take it all in.

“I never really thought I could win on Challenge Tour this quickly. I’d hoped maybe for later in the year but the last couple of weeks, I’ve been hitting the ball the best I’ve ever hit it – that’s all down to my coach Simon (Shanks).

“I could barely hold the putter on the 18th to be honest.

“It was nice having that two-shot cushion coming down the last but it was all to play for down the stretch and I’m over the moon with how I managed to close it out.

“I hit a really nice rescue into the par-three 16th to about a foot-and-a-half and then birdied 17 and that sort of sealed it, thankfully.

“Going wire to wire is physically and mentally draining, so I’ve now got to get ready for next week in Spain (the Challenge De Madrid) – I might stay up and have a few drinks to celebrate but I’ve got an early bus tomorrow morning. I’ll enjoy this moment though.”

Fellow Wiltshire player Ben Stow, from East Knoyle, near Warminster, also impressed in Egypt as he finished joint-fifth on 15 under-par.