Liverpool and Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish was renowned for his predatory finishing during his illustrious career and he showed he has lost none of his famous skills on the golf course to mount a final-day charge to win the 2014 Footballers' Golf Classic at La Manga Club for a third time.

Dalglish's hopes of completing a hat-trick of wins in the prestigious event hung in the balance with just one round remaining as he lay in joint-third place with Derek Mountfield on 68 Stableford points, two behind leader Luther Blissett and one adrift of defending champion Steve Lovell.

But the 63-year-old, who plays off a handicap of seven, was in no mood to miss out on victory and returned a score of 37 points in his final round – the joint-best of the day – on La Manga Club's renowned South Course to move ahead of Blissett and Lovell and claim the coveted title with 105 points.

Four-handicapper Lovell was chasing his third win in the last four years in the event and looked well placed after 36 holes before having to settle for a tie for second, one point behind Dalglish, with ex-England striker Steve Bull finishing alongside him after matching the winner's third-round score.

Blissett, who had set the pace after scores of 31 and 39 in the first two rounds, had a final day to forget and could only manage 29 points to end up level with Mountfield in fifth place on 99 points, one less than former Aston Villa and England midfield Lee Hendrie who impressed on his debut.

Ex-England star Joe Corrigan, Northern Ireland goalkeeper Maik Taylor and past Premier League stars Steve Sedgley and Alan Neilson were also among the players making their debuts in the star-studded event, which was being held for the 18th time this summer.

Former Liverpool, Tottenham and England striker Paul Walsh made his first appearance in the event for many years and he was joined on La Manga Club's famous fairways by other ex-England internationals including Des Walker, Dave Beasant, Ray Clemence and Steve Bull and former Scotland striker Alan McInally, a double winner of the competition.

The golf classic featured four days of competitive golf: the one-day Alan Ball Trophy and the three-day main event, which was sponsored this year by John Griffin, non-executive chairman of Addison Lee, London's leading minicab company, with competitors playing alongside a different footballer each day.

Entry includes five nights in the five-star Hotel La Manga Club Principe Felipe, breakfast, welcome and gala dinners and prize-giving with entertainment.

Overall team victory went to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, with Jon Lennox, Laurence Donnelly and David Rookley teaming up to take top prize with 250 points, three points clear of their closest rivals.

The luxurious setting of La Manga Club is the ideal venue for the competition with its three championship golf courses perfectly complemented by the rest of the resort's wide-ranging facilities, including a 28-court tennis centre and 2,000sqm spa complex.

The Footballers' Golf Classic is organised by Mancini Events and the event will head back to the award-winning venue again next year when it will take place from June 6-11, 2015.

For further information, please visit www.mancinievents.co.uk, call 07918 644900 or email donna@mancinievents.co.uk. For more details on La Manga Club and to make a booking, phone 00 34 968 17 5577, email reservas@lamangaclub.com or go to www.lamangaclub.com. 

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Release issued and distributed by The Azalea Group.

For more information on La Manga Club or images contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com 

La Manga Club – www.lamangaclub.com – is an unrivalled sports and leisure paradise which sits between the low hills that separate the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor Sea, just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante.

Set out over an area of some 560 hectares (approx. 1,400 acres), it enjoys a mild year-round Mediterranean climate and offers visitors a prestigious five-star hotel, luxury vacation apartments and extensive sports facilities, including three championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and eight grass sports pitches. The resort is also home to innumerable leisure facilities, such as the 2,000m2 Spa La Manga Club with its 13 luxurious treatment rooms, comprehensive fitness centre and 25m indoor swimming pool; meeting, banqueting and incentive facilities, and more than 20 restaurants and bars.

As well as hosting both Davis and Fed Cup tennis matches, La Manga Club has signed a long-term deal to be the overseas training resort of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) until 2016. It has also staged the Spanish Open golf championship and regularly attracts professional and international football teams to the first-class year-round training facilities which are also used by rugby and cricket sides.

As a result of more than 40 years of continued investment, innovation and commitment to excellence, La Manga Club is widely recognised as Spain's flagship resort and as one of the finest sports and lifestyle destinations in the world. Evidence of this is provided by its numerous awards and accolades.

La Manga Club was the proud recipient of a 2013 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel website, for the facilities and service on offer at its five-star Hotel Principe Felipe. The resort has long been a staunch supporter of women's golf, being the official overseas resort partner of the English Women's Golf Association for three years as well as hosting the Ladies European Tour (LET) Qualifying School from 2009-12. La Manga Club is also the venue for the Ladies Murcia Open, an LET Access Series event, and regularly hosts top women's amateur events and teams.