Richard Coughlan knows what it takes to win a tournament, but only from watching his playing partner. In his 378th tournament on the US PGA Tour, Chris Perry finally discovered what it feels likes to be a winner when he lifted the $270,000 top prize in the BC Open at the En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, New York, last evening.

For Coughlan, the quest to retain his tour card for next season continues. The 23-year-old Birr player enjoyed his best finish in his rookie year on the tour - finishing with a 73 for eight-under-par 280, seven shots behind Perry, for tied-ninth position.

Coughlan partnered Perry, who finished with a 67 for 273, in the penultimate pairing of the final round and gained valuable experience. Indeed, there was a huge gulf in experience between the two players: former Walker Cup player Coughlan, in his first year as a professional, was competing in only his 25th tournament, but Perry, a three-time runner-up, has been chasing his first win for over a decade - going back to his first second place finish in the 1987 Kemper Open - and actually topped the Nike Tour moneylist at one juncture in his career when he didn't have a full tour card.

Perry's victory was based on three straight birdies on the homeward run which finally enabled him to shrug off the challenge of the chasing group. Perry, in fact, had three shots to spare over Peter Jacobsen, who finished with a 67 for 276, which ensures he keeps his card for next season. Jacobsen had a rib cartilage injury earlier in the season and needed a big payday to guarantee his place in the top 125.

Although Coughlan had the satisfaction of signing his playing partner's card as the winner and getting the experience of playing in a pressure situation, the Irishman had little luck on the greens and a number of birdie putts somehow stayed out of the cup. Coughlan, who'd started the day in a tie for fourth place, turned in level par and was still nine-under-par until bogeying the 15th.

Coughlan hit a glorious tee-shot into the par-three 17th hole, but, again, the 12-foot birdie putt stayed above the hole, and he also had a long birdie attempt on the 18th green which broke away short of the hole.

Nevertheless, Coughlan continued his recent good form. In his previous tournament, the Canadian Open, he finished in tied-13th, and he will seek to maintain that rich vein in the Texas Open in San Antonio this week.