Strong final round elevates Saltman into fifth place

A CLOSING round of one-under-par 69 enabled Lloyd Saltman to finish joint fifth and earn £1,200 in this week's PGA EuroPro Tour event, the World Snooker Golf Championship, at the Players Golf Club in Bristol yesterday.

Saltman put together rounds of 71, 73 and 69 for a three-over-par total of 213, achieved in often difficult weather conditions.

That saw him finish four shots behind Matthew Evans of Rotherham (67, 73, 69) and Martin Sell of Wrag Barn (71, 68, 69) who tied at the top of the leaderboard on one-under-par 209. Evans won the play-off for the 10,000 top prize. Sell earned 5,000.

Drumpellier pro Graham Rankin matched Saltman's closing 69 and shared eighth place on 215, having had earlier scores of 71 and 75. Rankin earned 875 for his efforts.

The only other Scot to survive the halfway cut, Craig Lee, tied for 21st place with scores of 74, 73 and 72 for which he received a pay-out of 365.

Meanwhile, Braid Hills' Colin Gillies, the most successful player in Tartan Tour history, added another 956 to his record haul since he turned pro in 1984 by winning the Prestonfield Golf Club pro-am in Edinburgh yesterday.