First-time Bermuda visitor Paul Amess cruised to victory in the annual Amateur Match Play Championships at Mid Ocean Club on Saturday, wrapping up the title with eight holes to spare.

The 22-year-old Englishman beat past champion Blake Marshall, who trailed his opponent all the way around the course in the 36-hole final.

Amess clinched the title on the 28th hole, taking an unassailable lead for a nine and eight victory.

"I recently made some adjustments to my swing and it all seemed to come together for me today," said Amess. "I didn't hit the ball too well off the tee but my irons were razor sharp."

And so too was Amess' superb putting that was punctuated on the 16th hole where he nailed a 40-footer to keep the pressure on Marshall.

"My stroke felt great while the greens were in nice condition," the Temple University student said. "This is my first time visiting Bermuda and to win an event like this at the first try is fantastic. You could not have asked for a better start."

And neither could newly crowned ladies' champion Debby Jamgochian who beat local favourite Kim Botelho on the second hole of sudden-death to also claim top honours at her first attempt.

"What a way to start the new year - a win in my first tournament," commented Jamgochian, the 2007 Senior Women's Western Amateur champion who is currently ranked among the top five women seniors in the US.

"Hopefully I can now carry this momentum through the rest of the year."

Tied with her Bermudian rival after 36 holes, Jamgochian halved the first hole in sudden death before burying a pressure-filled 12-foot putt to seal the deal after Botelho landed in a greenside bunker and missed a ten-foot putt that would have kept her title hopes alive.

"It was a long day because I played a against a younger and stronger opponent in Kim," the 53-year-old Jamgochian said. "It was a very evenly contested match. We went back and forth all day and she gave me a very good run."

Past Amateur Match Play winner Botelho took defeat all in stride, admitting that her putting was not up to scratch when it mattered most.

"My putting let me down today," she said. "I just couldn't make any putts."

Amess and Jamgochian both confirmed they would be back next year to defend their titles.