Alex Levy got his British Masters week off to a winning start after clinching the inaugural Hero Challenge at The Grove tonight, but it was the new floodlit format that proved the biggest triumph as more than 2,000 golf fans enjoyed an entertaining hour-and-a-quarter of friendly competition around the 18th hole.

The Frenchman had his eye in from the start of the eight-player shoot-out event, striking his first tee shot to within 7ft to see off Andy Sullivan in the first round before he knocked out tournament host Luke Donald in the semi-finals.

Sweden’s Alex Noren had seen off Bernd Wiesberger and Shane Lowry in front of the live Sky Sports cameras to reach the final, but once again Levy delivered off the tee, hitting his shot to within 15ft of the pin to claim the £10,000 first prize for charity.

The Hero Challenge had been introduced with the aim of attracting new fans to the sport and judging by the reaction of those watching live and comments on social media, the quick-fire format proved a winner.

The players also enjoyed it, with Donald telling Sky Sports: “It’s fun, unique, I like it”, while Levy commented: “It’s really nice. I think we need to have fun on the golf course.”

The crowd were also treated to a celebrity challenge that was played at the end of the first round of the professionals' knockout matches which saw Shane Warne triumph at the expense of Kevin Pietersen, Brian McFadden and, to the particular enjoyment of his fellow players, Piers Morgan, who struggled from tee to green.

The build-up to Thursday’s first day of tournament play continues tomorrow with a star-studded Pro-Am and another short format initiative, the Pressure Putt Showdown in the afternoon.