Golf Digest/CHALLENGE TOUR: Stephen Browne retained his playing rights for the main European Tour with a sixth-place finish at the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final yesterday, giving the Dubliner the 19th of 20 cards on offer through the Challenge Tour rankings.

He joins Michael Hoey and David Higgins as one of the Challenge Tour's elite players of 2005 after Hoey took eighth place and Higgins 12th on the final rankings.

Browne (32), who was 110th on the rankings just over a month ago, before he won the Kazakhstan Open.

That propelled him up the rankings and gave him a fighting chance of retaining the Tour card he won at the 2004 Qualifying School.

Browne capitalised on the opportunity by taking sixth place at the San Domenico Golf Club, for which he won €10,000 and squeezed into the top 20 with earnings of €59,916.

US TOUR: American Lucas Glover last night holed a 34-yard bunker shot at the final hole for a an unlikely birdie which earned him a first victory on the PGA Tour in the Funai Classic in Orlando.

Glover's closing seven-under-par 65 saw him finish on 23 under par, one shot clear of Tom Pernice Jr, who shot a 69, and two clear of a group of five players which included Justin Rose.

Rose just missed the chance to force a play-off. He and Geoff Ogilvy both were on the 18th tee when Glover holed his winning shot, forcing them to birdie the hole to get into a play-off.

They matched each other with bogeys, dropping into a tie for third with Harrison Frazar, Rich Beem and defending champion Ryan Palmer, two shots off the pace.

At one stage the Englishman was six under for his round and 22 under overall, but dropped shots at the 16th and again at 18 saw him miss out.