Van Phillips planning win number 2

Van Phillips is eyeing a second European Tour title after breaking his duck with a dramatic victory in the Algarve Portuguese Open.

The 26-year-old claimed the £66,657 first prize at Penina with a nerveless, textbook par four on the first play-off hole after compatriot John Bickerton had fluffed his third shot into a greenside bunker.

The pair, playing in the last group together, had finished tied on a 12 under par total of 276 after firing closing rounds of 68, three ahead of Swede Robert Karlsson, Germany's Alex Cejka and Spain's Santiago Luna.

Former Walker Cup player Phillips held his nerve better when it mattered most to earn his first title in only his third full year on tour.

And he had no intention of resting on his laurels as he dashed off to catch a flight home for just one day off before travelling to Spain for the next event.

"I'll be back playing next week, it'll be business as usual," said Phillips who moved up to 14th on the Order of Merit and 18th in the Ryder Cup table. "I haven't thought about doing anything else. It feels great to win and I feel relieved actually. I've always felt I had the temperament to win and it's been frustrating not to win.

"But I always believed in myself and felt I was good enough to win. I was confident of staying within a shot of John and then seeing what happened down the stretch with difficult holes like 16 and 17."