Morgan on course for US Tour card

The Bristol golfer John Morgan went into the final round of the US Tour qualifying school in joint third place with Germany's Alex Cejka.

The 24-year-old rookie, who was somewhat surprised to be leading after four of the six rounds, added a one-under-par 71 in the fifth but he was overtaken by the Americans Jeff Brehaut and Brian Bateman.

They are both 17 under par, while Cejka joined Morgan on 16 under with a superb 64. With 35 tour cards on offer, both were on course to sail through on to the lucrative Tour. Morgan, a former England amateur international, only turned professional in April but still managed to finish eighth on the European Challenge Tour to earn himself a shot at the main circuit. He could now find himself able to divide his time between America and Europe.

The Swede Carl Pettersson fell from 37th to 64th with a 73 while the Rochdale-born Ed Fryatt also fell out of the running with a 76 to drop to 139th.

Padraig Harrington headed to the World Cup in Mexico with a $1m (£635,000) cheque and a first solo win in America to his name – plus the thrill of knowing he can beat Tiger Woods in a head-to-head race for a title.

The Irishman held off the world No 1 to take the Target World Challenge event in Thousand Oaks, California, his third win in just over two months.

Harrington's closing 71 for a 20-under-par total of 268 at the Sherwood Country Club brought him victory as Woods' chase to overcome what at one stage had been an eight-shot deficit faltered when he bogeyed the last.

The event counts only as an unofficial win because it is not part of the US Tour and is a limited field. But Harrington said: "I count it. Against Tiger? Yes. Against a world-class field? Yes."