HE IS the Hampshire resident who has won a prestigious golf competition at the ripe age of 91.

John Robertson saw off players three decades his junior, winning the competition at the Alto Golf and Country Club, a notoriously tricky course in Portugal’s sunny Algarve region.

The retired shopkeeper from Eastleigh said the secret to his success was a splash

of whisky in his morning coffee as he said it “gets me going”.

He won following an impressive round which saw him hit a tee-shot 257 yards.

Mr Robertson, who used to run a general store, has been playing golf for 48 years and took up the sport after ending his career as a goalkeeper for an ice hockey team in Southampton.

The pensioner described Alto as a tough course but was delighted with his round which saw him triumph with 31 stableford points off a handicap of 24.

After his win he said: “Alto is a tough course and it favours players who hit straight, rather than long.”

Mr Robertson said any aspiring golfers his age shouldn’t be put off.

And added: “Come along and join the seniors at Southampton Golf Club – regardless of your standard of

golf, you’ll get a warm welcome.”

The pensioner is an active member of the senior section of Southampton Golf Club and travelled to the Algarve with a dozen fellow golfers from the club.

Trip organiser and committee member, David Lockwood, said this was a great achievement.

And added: “It was a great achievement for anyone to win – let alone at 91 years

old.

“But John is an active member, great company and popular on and off the course, enjoying the first 18 holes and the 19th.”

The Algarve is one of the most popular destinations for golf in the world, with a number of picturesque courses in a warm climate.