Camiko Smith says he is thrilled his hard work finally paid off after capturing a maiden BPGA Stroke Play Championship title at the third attempt.

The professional carded a one-over-par 211 to finish four shots clear of nearest rival Chris Smith during the 54-hole event at Tucker’s Point Club last week.

Smith, 34, started the final round trailing overnight leader Smith by one shot and struck form on the back nine, where he regained the lead and all but clinched the title after chipping in for eagle at the par 5 15th.

“We were going back and forth,” Camiko Smith said. “I would make a birdie, he would make a birdie or I would make a par and he would make a bogey and then I just finally got something going and chipped in for eagle.”

Smith shot a final round one-over-par 71 to claim the title.

“I had a pretty up and down round,” he added. “I made a lot of silly mistakes but was able to bounce back, stay focused and grind it out.

“My main goal was basically to birdie or eagle all the par 5s.”

Chris Smith finished with a five-over-par 215, with Chaka DeSilva rounding off the podium in third a further nine shots back.

Smith said he is “overwhelmed” to have finally won an event that means so much to him.

“This is one I definitely wanted,” he said. “All of the hard work has finally paid off and it feels good.

“I came out of lockdown [for Covid-19] and figured I would just work my butt off and get my name on this trophy, so I am pretty overwhelmed and excited about it.

“I put in a lot of hard work, stayed focused and believed in myself that I can do it.

“I felt really confident and I have been swinging well.”

Smith insists his recent triumph has further boosted his confidence.

“It’s a good feeling and it helps me believe I can win and it’s possible, something my coach [Carlos Brown] and I have been working on a lot — just believing in myself more.”

Smith now hopes to build upon his momentum.

“It’s just sticking with the process of what I have been doing and keep moving forward with it,” he said.

“I just want to keep working hard and obviously the PGA Bermuda Championship is coming up in a few months, so I definitely want to prepare myself for that and just keep building blocks for things to come.”