WORCESTER golf star Maisie Whittal held her nerve to win the Daily Mail World Junior Golf Championships last week after a dramatic playoff hole.

15-year-old Whittal from Battenhall, Worcester, was one of 250 of the world's most promising young golfing talents on display at the competition on the Villa Padierna course in Marbella, Spain.

She found herself locked in a two-way tussle for the lead with Italian playing partner Matilde Modesti in the 14-15 Girls category. A playoff hole was a new experience for the Worcestershire golfer, but even the heightened tension that came with it was unable to knock her stride.

"I actually felt quite confident going to the first tee because I birdied that hole earlier in the round," said Whittal, speaking to the Daily Mail.

"I just thought to myself, 'Do what I did earlier and I'll be absolutely fine'. 'She (Modesti) made the same mistake she did this morning. It was probably in her head a little bit, but I just kept calm.

"When I was on course yesterday and the day before it was really stressful. It was like a rollercoaster. I kept going, you need a lot of resilience out there."