Smyth's status improved

Golf/Champions Tour SBC Classic: If last season was, in its own way, exasperating for Des Smyth, this year could not have started better.

On an extraordinary Sunday for Irish golf, and just hours after Padraig Harrington won his maiden PGA Tour title, Smyth claimed the SBC Classic in California on the Champions Tour to pick up his first success on that particular circuit and open the door to potentially greater riches.

Apart from collecting the biggest cheque of his career, for $232,500, Smyth, who is viewed as an extremely strong contender to be Ian Woosnam's vice-captain for the Ryder Cup match at The K Club next year, has won a place in the limited field for next month's Legends of Golf in Savannah, Georgia, and next season's opening MasterCard Championship in Hawaii, which is confined to tournament winners.

"This is a really big deal for me," admitted Smyth, who finished outside the top-30 on last year's money list and only held a conditional tour card for this season.

Now, his victory has immediately improved his status and given him a two-year exemption for good measure.

Last season, Smyth made a late run to get among the top-30 on the Order of Merit. He was in 44th position at the start of September but produced two top-10 finishes in his last five starts of the season to eventually finish in 35th place with season's earnings of $537,450.

He attempted to improve his conditional status on the tour by returning to the qualifying school but eventually finished 10th.

Still, he has made the best of his appearances this season, finishing tied-eighth in the Ace Group Classic and tied-38th in the Outback Steakhouse pro-am, before hitting the heights on Sunday with a final round 68 that moved him to five-under-par 211, leaving him one stroke clear of adopted Irishman Mark McNulty, who previously campaigned for Zimbabwe, and American DA Weibring.

Smyth, who is 52, was the oldest winner on the PGA European Tour when he took the Madeira Island Open in 2001, when aged 48 years and 34 days.

However, this win in Santa Clarita has capped everything and takes his career total to 20 victories worldwide.

Of his final round charge, Smyth said: "The course was set up so that no one could run away from the field.

"I knew the leaders would be under pressure and that I could sneak up on them. I really feel like I stole it."

Smyth, who has moved up to fourth on the Champions Tour money list with season's winnings of $284,500, remains on in America to compete in this week's Toshiba Seniors Classic at Newport Beach in California.