CHALLENGE TOUR: Belfast's Michael Hoey secured his first victory as a professional, and a place on the 2006 European Tour, after winning the European Challenge Tour's BA-CA Open in Austria yesterday. Hoey had a birdie-birdie finish to take the title by a single stroke from Sweden's Steven Jeppesen.
Hoey's final round of 67 for a 19 under par and a cheque for €24,000 propelled him to third place on the Challenge Tour Rankings and secured his place on the European Tour as one of the top 20 Challenge Tour players of the season.
Hoey showed his ability and mental strength over the final round at the beautiful Fontana Golf Club on the outskirts of Vienna, resisting a serious charge from South African Michael Bothma and then cancelling out a late challenge by Jeppesen with that birdie-birdie climax to take the title.
Waterville's David Higgins finished on two over after a closing 71.
SENIOR MASTERS: Mark James defeated Sam Torrance in a play-off to win the European Senior Masters at Woburn yesterday. The two former Ryder Cup captains returned to the 18th at the Duke's Course and Torrance appeared to have the advantage when, having been stuck in the trees to the left of the fairway, he conjured a miraculous low hook shot to within three foot of the pin.
But James holed from eight foot for birdie and Torrance saw his putt drift fractionally right of the cup, gifting his rival his maiden European Seniors Tour title.
James, who was six off the pace at the start of play, carded a stylish round of six under 66 while Torrance had a 67.
CHINA MASTERS: South Africa's Retief Goosen fired an eight-under-par 64 to record a six-shot victory over Michael Campbell at the China Masters in Beijing yesterday.
World number five Goosen matched the course record he set in Thursday's first round to comfortably beat US Open champion Campbell.
Goosen quickly extended his one-stroke overnight lead with a five-hole birdie blitz sparked by a 15-foot putt on the second. Goosen, a twice US Open winner, holed out on 22-under-par 266 to complete a wire-to-wire triumph only slightly dampened by a bogey on the 18th.
"It's never over till it's over," Goosen said. "But on 15 it was a big turning point there as I chipped in for par. I knew then that the tournament was over."
Campbell's 69 was good enough for second place with China's Zhang Lianwei third on 11-under. Campbell almost won a Volkswagen after his tee shot on 17 stopped on the lip of the cup.
EUROPEAN WOMEN'S TOUR: Denmark's Iben Tinning claimed her third women's European Tour win of the season with victory on home soil in the inaugural Nykredit Masters at Kokkedal Golf Club near Copenhagen.
Tinning began the day two shots behind overnight leader Cecilia Ekelundh but a final-round 65, compared to the Swede's 70, gave her a two-shot triumph over England's Lora Fairclough.
Ireland's Rebecca Coakley finished in ninth place .
