GolfDigest

CHALLENGE TOUR: Stephen Browne, David Higgins and Michael Hoey will head for the European Tour Qualifying School finals after missing out on their cards at the European Challenge Tour's Bouygues Telecom Grand Final in Bordeaux yesterday.

Higgins was the best placed of the Irish trio on five-under-par 279, but trailed eventual winner David Drysdale of Scotland by eight shots on a day of intense drama in the South West of France.

Drysdale won a sudden-death play-off with Sweden's Mattias Eliasson, taking the €34,250 first prize he required to win his place on the 2005 European Tour via the Challenge Tour rankings.

England's Lee Slattery was crowned the 2004 Challenge Tour winner after his fifth-place finish saw him leapfrog Italy's Alessandro Tadini at the top of the rankings.

That completed a fairytale season for Slattery. He began the year in South Africa and then played the EuroPro Tour before stepping up to the Challenge Tour and topping the rankings after just 13 appearances.

Browne and Hoey finished the tournament on two over and 10 over par respectively, but, along with Higgins, will get another chance to win their tour cards at the Qualifying School finals at San Roque Club in southern Spain in just over a fortnight's time.

EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR: After finishing second on five occasions, Scotland's John Chillas finally claimed his first title of 2004 by winning the season-ending Estoril Seniors Tour Championship in Portugal.

Chillas, joint leader at the start of the day, closed with a three-under-par 68 at Quinta da Marinha Oitavos Golfe for a six-under-par total of 207 and a two-stoke victory over Australian David Good.

Eamon Darcy's final round of 72 left him in seventh place on one under par (212), five shots behind Chillas.

Chillas's winning cheque for €37,325 saw him claim the final place in the Rest of the World team for the UBS Cup against America.

Mason, who before the start of the week had already wrapped up the European Seniors Tour Order of Merit title for the second successive year, finished three behind Chillas in joint third with Scotland's Martin Gray and American John Benda.

US TOUR: A 10-under-par final round of 62 saw Ryan Palmer surge past the rest of the field to win the Funai Classic in Florida last night.

Adams, who was five shots off the lead after three rounds, picked up five birdies on the front nine and a further five after the turn to finish on 22 under par.

Overnight leader Briny Baird and world number one Vijay Singh shared second place on 19 under par following rounds of 67 and 70 respectively.

Joey Sindelar, who had a final round of 67, and Cameron Beckham (69) finished in joint third place on 18 under par.