A GOLFER has made a remarkable comeback from serious illness to beat his own son to a prestigious title.

Michael King won the club championship at Bellingham Golf Club for a third time, on Sunday.

After 36 holes of intense competition, the 59-year-year found himself tied on the same score as his son Ben (29).

They locked horns in a three-hole play off, with King Sr winning by one shot.

It was the first time the pair had gone head-to-head in the club’s biggest competition.

But the unexpected dual was made even more remarkable, as Michael didn’t expect to compete for this year’s title.

The three-handicapper began experiencing chest pains back in April, and was told he had a torn aorta, the main artery of the body.

Major surgery followed, at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital in May, before Michael was told to rest while his body recovered.

“I was in hospital 10 days,” said Michael, “but when I got the all-clear six weeks later, I was told I could start swinging the golf club.

“I’ve only played about five games of golf since. I haven’t overdone it, but I’ve played some good golf.”

Michael admitted he went into Sunday’s tournament without any expectations.

“My plan was to play the first 18 holes and see if I was feeling tired,” he added, “but in that first round I had four birdies on the trot, and I had no bother continuing.

“The weather deteriorated in the afternoon, and it made scoring more difficult.”

Michael carded rounds of 72 and 75 to finish on 147 – the same 36-hole total as Ben, who shot 73 and 74.

King Jr could have won after 36 holes, but found the infamous ravine with his approach shot to the 18th hole, costing him a double bogey six.

Michael added: “We both went into the play-off and gave it our best. It was great to win but it was a shame to beat my boy. I would have loved him to win.”

Ben, himself a former club champion at Bellingham, has played number one for the club’s Hadrian League team this season.