GOLF DIGEST: SENIORS TOUR: Carl Mason completed a hat-trick of De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship titles after easing to a three-stroke victory at De Vere Slaley Hall yesterday.

Englishman Mason fired a three-under-par final round 69 to capture his 21st European Senior Tour title and close the gap on Tommy Horton’s record of 23 career victories on the over-50s circuit.

After extending his three-shot overnight lead with two birdies in his opening four holes, Mason had a double bogey after finding the water off on the fifth hole but that proved to be a minor blip as he carded five more birdies.

A double bogey on the last eroded the margin of victory but his nine-under-par total of 279 was enough to hold off Paraguay’s Angel Franco and South African Christopher Williams, who tied for second, and give Mason a belated birthday present, after he celebrated turning 56 on Thursday.

Franco closed with a round of 68 to finish runner-up for the fourth time on the Senior Tour while Williams, who secured a conditional card at Qualifying School last November, rounded off a fine Senior Tour debut with a 69 for a share of second place on six-under-par.

CHALLENGE TOUR: There were contrasting fortunes for Colm Moriarty and Simon Thornton on the final day of The Princess, which was won by England's Andrew Butterfield with a 13-under-par total of 271.

Thornton started the day in a tie for fourth place at Båstad GK in Båstad, Sweden, but fell 20 places after a closing round of 74 dropped him back to four-under- par 280.

However, Moriarty enjoyed a more productive day, as he opened with a birdie and added a further four in a round of 68 to finish on eight-under-par 276, five shots behind Butterfield.

For much of the day at Båstad GK in Båstad, Sweden, Butterfield looked like frittering away the six-stroke lead he had held overnight.

Indeed, after a double bogey at the 13th hole was followed by birdies at the 14th for his three closest rivals, the 36-year-old briefly relinquished the lead for the first time since smashing the course record on the opening day.

But Butterfield hit back with a birdie at the 16th hole, and when Germany’s Christophe Günther – who had climbed to 13 under par – ran up successive bogeys, the Englishman knew a par at the last would hand him the title.

US TOUR: Kenny Perry overhauled playing partner and fellow American Paul Goydos to hold a two-shot lead midway through yesterday's final round of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.

In pursuit of his 14th PGA Tour title, Perry birdied three of the first eight holes to reach the turn in three-under-par 32 at the rain-softened TPC River Highlands.

That left him at 18 under par overall with Goydos alone in second after missing a seven-foot birdie putt at the ninth.

Scott Verplank was among a group of five at 15 under after he signed off with an eight-birdie 62.

Level with Verplank were fellow Americans Tag Ridings, after 11 holes, Ben Curtis (11), John Merrick (10) and David Toms (nine).