Golf: Price's first Tour win

PHILLIP PRICE collected his first European Tour title and a prize of pounds 50,000 when he won the Portuguese Open at Penha Longa yesterday.

Leading from the moment he shot a course-record 64 on Thursday, the 27-year-old from Pontypridd, winner of only pounds 6,015 in his previous seven tournaments this season, needed only a one-over-par 72 on a windy final day to triumph by four shots from Preston's Paul Eales, David Gilford, the defending champion, and South Africa's Retief Goosen.

'I bought a bottle of champagne a year ago ready for my first win. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever open it, but now I can,' Price said.

Price becomes the third first-time winner in five weeks, following Eales and Carl Mason, and a second appearance in the Dunhill and World Cups could be his later this year.

PORTUGUESE OPEN (Penha Longa, Sintra): Leading final scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 278 P Price 64 71 71 72. 282 D Gilford 71 69 69 73; P Eales 66 71 72 73; R Goosen (SA) 69 66 73 74. 283 C Rocca (It) 65 73 74 71; I Garrido (Sp) 69 69 73 72. 284 M A Jimenez (Sp) 70 68 74 72; G Ralph 71 69 71 73. 285 H Clark 67 73 74 71; M Clayton (Aus) 66 74 73 72; M Besanceney (Fr) 69 71 72 73; R Rafferty 69 68 73 75. 286 D J Russell 69 69 77 71; C Mason 67 69 79 71; D Hospital (Sp) 70 71 73 72; B Barnes 69 67 73 77. 287 G Evans 69 73 75 70; S Ames (Tri) 74 69 74 70; M Miller 71 68 74 74; G Orr 68 70 75 74; S Torrance 70 73 70 74; J Van de Velde (Fr) 68 68 76 75; R Karlsson (Swe) 70 70 72 75.

VOLVO EUROPEAN TOUR ORDER OF MERIT 1 J M Olazabal (Sp) 88,225.37; 2 E Els (SA) 83,100; 3 P Eales (Eng) 75,669.39; 4 A Forsbrand (Swe) 68,800; 5 D Gilford (Eng) 68,678.50; 6 P Hedblom (Swe) 68,487.57; 7 H Clark (Eng) 67,133.93; 8 C Mason (Eng) 64,464.89; 9 P Price (Wal) 56,015.21; 10 B Lane (Eng) 53,241.31.