CHALLENGE TOUR: Mikael Lundberg survived the brutally tough conditions that blighted the final round to win the Toscana Open Italian Federation Cup and secure a return to The European Tour.
The Swede carded a hugely respectable final round of two-over-par 73 in biting cold and stormy winds to take the €22,400 first prize by five strokes from Ireland's Stephen Browne and elevate himself to eighth place on the Challenge Tour Rankings with just one event remaining on the 2007 Schedule.
As Lundberg lifted the Toscana Open Italian Federation Cup, Browne was celebrating the required second place finish that kept his hopes of winning back his European Tour card via the Rankings.
The Dubliner needed to finish at least second on his own to win a place at next week's Apulia San Domenico Grand Final, where and elite 45-man field contest a prize fund of €250,000 as the battle for the 20 available European Tour cards reaches its annual nail-biting conclusion.
He did that in dramatic style during a final round that was hugely affected by the wintry conditions, posting a three-under-par 68 that included a birdie-birdie finish to post an 11-under-par 273 aggregate to post the clubhouse lead with just two matches left on the golf course.
Of the six men still to finish, two were ahead of Browne as they played the last hole - Lundberg and Finland's Toni Karjalainen.
It was Karjalainen who would put the seal on Browne's fantastic day as he ran up a triple bogey at the 18th hole to leave Browne in second place on his own, which won the Irishman €15,400 and allowed him to climb 34 places on the Rankings, from 71st to 37th, thereby securing his place at the last event of the season.
"This is unbelievable," said Browne as the news was broken to him. "Obviously Toni has let me in with his triple bogey at the last but I did I couldn't have done anymore and made some huge putts coming down the stretch.
"In fact I made crucial putts on the last five greens so I feel like I deserve to finish second and get to the Grand Final."
EUROPEAN SENIORS: Record-breaking Carl Mason confirmed his status as the most prolific winner in European golf during 2007 after he claimed his fifth victory of an outstanding European Seniors Tour season - the OKI Castell'n Open de España Senior.
The all conquering Englishman carded a brilliant final round of seven-under-par 65 at the Club de Golf del Mediterraneo to finish on 17-under-par 199, ensuring a four shot triumph over Argentina's Luis Carbonetti, with Australia's David Good in third place, two strokes further back.
Mason's incredible year and success rate takes his total number of victories in less than five years competing as a senior golfer to a staggering 19.
The top prize of €48,750 takes his current haul to € 401,547 with one event left in the tournament calendar - and it ensured Mason has set record earnings for the season, having surpassed the €354,775 he won in 2004 when he finished European Senior Tour number one for a second consecutive time.
Sam Torrance, who shot a final round 68, finished in a tie for fourth place on 10-under-par 206, alongside fellow Scot Ross Drummond (70-70-66).
Eamonn Darcy was the best placed Irishman. He finished in tied 15th place on five-under-par 211. Denis O'Sullivan was tied 37th on level par 216, while Jimmy Heggarty and Eddie Polland were tied 58th and 68th respectively.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Des Smyth shot a final round of 72 for a level par total of 213 in the US Champions Tour AT&T Championship at Oak Hills CC, San Antonio, Texas yesterday.
However, on the course local Tom Kite, John Cook and Mark O'Meara were tied for the lead on 13-under-par through 13 holes of the final round.
