ST PIERRE’S Liam Bond has finished top of the PGA West Region Order of Merit for the first time.

Bond clinched first place by shooting rounds of 75 and 66 to share seventh place in the PGA West Region Championships at Saunton Golf Club.

Going into the event, Bond shared top spot in the order of merit with Dorset’s Lee Thompson, but the latter could only finish tied 30th in North Devon.

Thompson’s rounds of 75 and 73 gave him a 36-hole score of six-over-par, seven strokes adrift of Bond.

The Dorset man’s poor performance saw him drop to fourth in the final order of merit standings with Paul Hendriksen second and Ross Langdon third.

The play-offs return to Saunton at the end of October and the more successful players in the small field will qualify to compete in European Tour and Challenge Tour events.

The top 10 play in the flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth next May.

Adam Frayne (Yelverton) won the championship and also the assistant’s title, while home professional Albert MacKenzie became the seniors’ champion.

Joe Ferguson (Celtic Manor Resort) returned rounds of 76 and 70 to finish in a tie for 20th place.

Meanwhile, Hensol Golf Academy’s Lydia Hall followed her remarkable victory in the Welsh Professional Championship at Tenby by dominating the women’s event at Saunton.

A final round of two-under-par 69 brought her a stunning 13-shot victory over Rachel Lewis (Vale Resort) with Jamie-Lee Casling (Cotswold Hills) third.

Hall is working at Hensol but is still a member of the Ladies’ European Tour after missing last year with a knee injury.

She said: “I last played at Saunton 12 years ago as an amateur in the Faldo Series. I am now in my ninth year on Tour and my next event is the European Masters in Germany in a couple of weeks.”