GOLFING legend John Jacobs OBE was the guest of honour at a gala ball where guests splashed out more than £55,000 for Wessex Heartbeat.

The former Open champion and Ryder Cup captain was joined by ex-Saints stars Matt Le Tissier and Francis Benali at the second annual Wessex Heartbeat Charity Golf Classic and Magic Ball which was held at St Mary's Stadium.

Nearly 350 trustees, sponsors and guests packed the Mike Channon Suite for a night of music, entertainment and fundraising for the cardiac unit at Southampton General Hospital.

Eyes were fixed firmly on the top prize of the night - a brand new Volkswagen Golf donated by Peter Cooper Volkswagen.

A signed and framed Rugby World Cup 2003 shirt, Ryder Cup season tickets, a trip on HMS Ocean, powerboat racing, a day on the set of Sky Sports Soccer Special and Omega watches were among the lots in a grand auction.

But a week in the Mediterranean on board a brand new Sunseeker yacht proved the biggest draw of the night, topping the £10,000 mark.

There was dancing to 70s tribute band Love Train and entertainment from Adger Brown, the compere for the evening.

The ball followed a charity golf day won in spectacular style by the team from www.truegreats.com, which included Le Tissier and European Tour golfer Richard Bland.

A tired but happy Sara-Jane Tyrrell, Wessex Heartbeat events manager, branded the evening a resounding success and thanked all of the charity's fantastic supporters.