TWO fine rounds of 65, 67 which put him eight under par and leading the field at halfway in the Honda Classic in Florida gave former Herts county player Brian Davis hope of winning his first American title but, despite a battling performance, it was Ernie

TWO fine rounds of 65, 67 which put him eight under par and leading the field at halfway in the Honda Classic in Florida gave former Herts county player Brian Davis hope of winning his first American title but, despite a battling performance, it was Ernie Else who triumphed in the end.

Golf by Alan Booth

The PGA National course at Palm Beach Gardens, redesigned by Jack Nicklaus, with the final stretch surrounded by lakes - aptly named after his Golden Bear trademark, 'The Bear Trap' - proved a daunting test.

In the end, a six under par total from Els, rounds of 67, 70, 70, 67 for 274, gave him the title by a shot from Davis' English colleague Luke Donald, whose chip from the fringe stopped three inches short of the final hole to deprive him of a play-off. Donald led with 64 at the start then slumped to 74 before fighting back.

Davis followed his opening rounds with a three over par 73 to be five under and on the last day had dropped to one under before a birdie on the final hole for another 73 left him on two under 278.

A tie for seventh place earned him $160,000, giving him a total since the start of the season of $210,000 for 78th place on the US Tour moneylist. Last year second place in the St Jude Classic brought him £250,000.

l While four English players made it into the matchplay stages of the Spanish Women's Open in Girona, Brocket Hall's Charlie Douglass was one of four who failed to qualify. With the top 32 in the field going through, Charlie had rounds of 80, 79 to finish in 47th place.