JUSTIN ROSE collected his first pay cheque on the main European Tour yesterday in the European Grand Prix at Slaley Hall.

Despite a disastrous round of 82 in Saturday's third round, the North Hants teenager finished with a 73 for a four-round total of 299.

His score was nothing to write home about but marked the end of a miserable run that had seen him miss 22 successive cuts on the Volvo Tour.

Fellow Hampshire man Gary Emerson (pictured above) had a two-under-par 70 yesterday to finish on level par 288 - some 14 shots behind winner and man-of-the-moment David Park.

Welsh rookie Park rounded off the most exciting week of his young life with a nail-biting victory.

He turned 25 on Friday having lost out in a marathon play-off last week in the desert heat of the Moroccan Open to Spaniard Miguel Angel Martin. But in the rain-soaked conditions of Northumberland, Park went one better to seal a last-gasp victory on the 18th hole against David Carter, and avoid another play-off lottery.

Carter, the South African-born player from Chesterfield, was faced with a six-foot putt for par on the final hole but was inches wide.

Park had a slightly shorter distance and conquered his nerves to sink his putt.

Not only was it a dream come true for Park but one he can hardly have expect-ed so quickly after losing the £58,358 winner's purse in Agadir.

Apart from the £108,330 prize money, the Royal and Ancient have given him a place in next month's Open at Carnoustie. The victory also gives the Challenge Tour player a full card and a two-year exemption for the full circuit.

On hearing of his Open entry, Park said: "I've had a lot of good things hap-pen just lately, so I'd better get some practice in, that will be a tough trial."

Of his winning shot he added: "It was an uphill putt running left to right. I concentrated on a good putt and it snuck into the corner."

Carter's dropped shot meant he shared the £72,210 runner-up money with South Africa's Retief Goosen, whose 66 yesterday moved him to the top of the Volvo Order of Merit with £480,569 ahead of Colin Montgomerie's £473,624.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.