FORMER Clacton golfer Jason Levermore underlined his reputation as one of the best players in East region history by winning the Order of Merit for a sixth time – thanks to victory in the KJW Millbrook Masters.

Levermore started the week in third spot on the rankings but leapt to the summit with another rock-solid performance.

The Essex ace shot rounds of 70 and 69 to finish five-under-par, three clear of joint runners-up Mark Talbott (Thorpe Hall) and Chase Davis (Eaton).

In trademark style, Levermore made 16 pars and two birdies on day one to trail first-round leader Chris Baron (West Essex) by a shot.

And he signalled his intentions at the start of the second day, making birdie on the opening hole.

But it was back-to-back gains on the ninth and tenth that really consolidated his title push.

Indeed, he could even afford the odd hiccup down the stretch, including at the 15th where he found the gorse with an errant drive and ended up making bogey.

However, Levermore clinched victory at The Millbrook in the fashion of a real champion, making birdie at the last where he holed out from a greenside bunker.

The success meant Levermore claimed back-to-back Order of Merit crowns and it was all the more of an achievement, given that he was staving off jetlag.

He’d only flown back from Texas at the start of last week, having played for Great Britain and Ireland in their slender 12-14 defeat to the USA in the PGA Cup.

Levermore, 40, said: “I’ve felt a bit tired the last few days.

"I must have yawned 100 times on the front nine on the first day to the point where my eyes started watering.

“But that might have put me in good stead in one way as I was kind of relaxed and chilled.

“I played steadily. Apart from a couple of loose ones on the second day I didn’t really put a foot wrong.

“It’s always nice to win – and always nice to finish top of the Order of the Merit but that’s not a goal at the start of the year.

"The top-three is all I’m really worried about.”

The reason why a top-three berth is so coveted by Levermore and his colleagues on the East region circuit is that it books a place in the season-ending PGA Play-Offs, which features the best players from the seven PGA regions.

This year’s PGA Play-Offs will once again take place in Turkey at Antalya from November 27 to 29.

Joining Levermore from the East region will be Talbott and James Ruebotham (Welwyn Garden City).