Golf:European Tour officials said last night they were powerless to prevent the competitive return of Elliot Saltman, whose exile from professional golf has ended less than two weeks after he was banned from the sport for cheating, writes Lawrence Donegan.

The Scottish player, who was banned by the tour’s tournament committee for three months, teed up yesterday at the Hacienda de Almo Open in Murcia, Spain – an event staged by the Hi5 Tour, a so-called mini-tour that operates outside the jurisdiction of the European Tour. Saltman shot a one-over 73 to finish in a tie for 19th, eight shots behind the tournament leader, his brother Lloyd Saltman.

Saltman, who has maintained his innocence, was banned two weeks ago for incorrectly replacing his ball on the greens at least five times during an event in Russia last year and was given 28 days to appeal. He is only the third professional player to be banned for cheating on the European Tour.