Ford was declared champion at 10-under following rounds of 67, 66 and 70, finishing two shots clear of Zachary May, Sean Towndrow and Mitchell Kale, who shared second at eight-under.

The final round had already begun when worsening conditions brought play to a halt. Ford had continued his strong week, moving to 11-under through four holes and extending his advantage, but all Sunday scores were ultimately wiped as the tournament reverted to the completed 54-hole standings from Saturday.

It made for an unusual finish to an otherwise impressive week for the Royal Wellington golfer.

“Not quite the way you want to win,” Ford said.

“It’s a little bit of an anticlimax. You’re in the thick of things, feeling all the feelings, going out there trying to sweat over your little two, three, four-footers.

“A win’s a win, but it’s a little bit of an anticlimax right now. I’m not 100 percent sure how to feel.”

Ford had steadily built his tournament across the opening three rounds. An opening four-under 67 put him in contention before a five-under 66 on Friday moved him into a share of the halfway lead with Kale.

Saturday ultimately proved decisive as strong winds swept across the course and made scoring increasingly difficult. Only eight players in the field managed to break par, but Ford produced a composed one-under 70 and birdied the 18th to take a two-shot lead into the scheduled final round.

Those conditions continued into Sunday and, despite the difficulty, Ford said he felt confident while play was underway.

“It was a punish,” he said.

“I reached out to my fellowship group back home the last couple of days and just asked for prayer, to be walking in boldness.

“I definitely felt bold and confident out there. It felt good.”

May finished alongside Towndrow and Kale at eight-under and claimed leading amateur honours after an excellent week.

The Clearwater Golf Club player followed rounds of 71 and 66 with Saturday’s round of the day, a three-under 68 in the strongest conditions of the tournament. Six birdies, including four on his back nine, helped May climb into a share of second overall.

Towndrow also handled the wind impressively on Saturday, carding a two-under 69, while Kale’s opening-round 63 remained one of the standout scores of the week.

In the women’s amateur field, Sophie Yu took leading amateur honours at four-over following rounds of 71, 72 and 74. Yu finished one shot clear of Yuetong (Victoria) Xin at five-over, with Sarah Li third at 11-over.

The All Abilities Invitational was won by Guy Harrison at nine-over. Harrison finished five shots clear of Tim Vogel at 14-over, with Andrew Woo completing the top three at 21-over.

While the Christies Floorings Mount Open ended earlier than planned, Ford’s work across the first three days had already put him in control, with his Saturday birdie at the last ultimately proving to be the final stroke that counted in a tournament shaped by some of the toughest conditions of the Summerset Charles Tour season.