ANY hopes Graeme Storm had of winning the Andalucia Open de Espana disappeared yesterday when he had a nightmare final round.

The Hartlepool golfer carded a 74, two over par, at the San Roque Club in what proved to be his only poor showing over the four days.

Storm entered the fourth day in serious contention for his first European Tour win, having started on 14 under after posting 66, 67 and 70.

He finished tied for 16th place as his game suddenly left him after double bogeying the par five seventh hole.

It had looked promising for Storm up to that point after birdies at the first and third. But after disaster struck at the seventh he bogeyed the eighth, 13, 15 and 18.

Although he will be annoyed with how things developed, he will be pleased to have put more money in the bank and almost doubled his earnings for the season by adding a cheque for around £16,000.

Storm finished six shots adrift of eventual winner Niclas Fasth.

A day after his 34th birthday Swede Fasth had two more things to celebrate - the fourth victory of his European Tour career and a big leap up the Ryder Cup table.

The Ascot-based player, a member of the triumphant 2002 team at The Belfry, won on the fourth hole of a play-off with England's John Bickerton.

As well as the usual fist-pump from Fasth when he sank his winning five-foot birdie putt came a massive sigh of relief.

Bickerton was eight behind at the start of the final round and even with a course record-equalling 63 thought he had come up just short.

But Fasth, two ahead with two to play, bogeyed them both to fall into a tie on 18 under par.

They then parred the 18th three times before switching to the ninth, where tables and chairs laid out on the green for the presentation ceremony had to be hastily removed.

Bickerton, who had his first tour win in Tenerife last October, pulled his second shot up against the hospitality tent and Fasth took the opportunity to grab the £190,464 prize.

It moves him up from 17th to 12th in the race for places in Ian Woosnam's side for the K Club near Dublin in September.

Thomas Bjorn had five birdies in his first six holes to move into a three-shot lead.

But Bjorn four-putted the short eighth for a double bogey and at the last missed a five-foot par putt that would have put him in the play-off.

Instead he finished in a six-way tie for third with David Griffiths.

Published: 01/05/06