Browne has real chance to secure full Tour card

Golf Digest/Challenge Tour: Stephen Browne, David Higgins and Michael Hoey are set for one of the most intense weeks of their careers at the Bouygues Telecom Grand Final, where the European Challenge Tour's elite top 45 players will do battle for the 15 European Tour Cards available through the end of season rankings.

With a prize fund of €200,000, the Bougyues Telecom Grand Final offers any of the 30 players outside the current top 15 the opportunity to win a card for 2005, and is traditionally one of the most nerve-racking weeks on the golfing calendar, as aspiring professionals look to secure their place at European golf's top table.

Browne, currently 27th on the rankings, could break into that top 15 with a first or second place finish on Sunday night, while Higgins and Hoey - respectively 40th and 45th on the rankings - need to scoop the €34,250 top prize to guarantee themselves a place on Tour next season.

Higgins would complete an unbelievable return to the top if he can score victory at the Golf du Médoc. The 32-year-old Waterville professional was outside the Challenge Tour's top 100 and missed out at Stage One of the European Tour Qualifying School four weeks ago, but a three-week run of stunning results, including a second place at last week's Donnington Grove English Challenge Open, saw him sneak into 45th place and rejuvenate his season.

"It's been a brilliant three weeks," said Higgins. "The only problem is that I haven't seen my girlfriend for over three weeks now. I left home to play a tournament in Ireland for a few days and I haven't been back since. But it is great to be here, especially seeing that I am playing well and really confident, which is what this game is all about."

WORLD AMATEUR TEAMS: The Britain and Ireland team were well off the pace during yesterday's opening day's play in the Espirito Santo Trophy, the Women's World Amateur Team Championships being played at Rio Mar Country Club in Puerto Rico.

Emma Duggleby fired a two-over par 74 and Clare Queen a 75 (with Stephanie Evans' 76 discarded) to lie on five-over par, some 12 shots behind Canada and 10 behind second-placed US.

There are no Irish women on the Britain and Ireland team.