A dreadful slice of luck cost Malton and Norton's Simon Dyson his chance of winning his first European Tour event yesterday.

The Ryedale star led at 13 under par in the Portuguese Open in Faro after five holes in the final round.

Joint overnight leader after three rounds, Dyson moved into the lead at the Quinta do Lago course on 13 under with birdies on the second and fourth.

But he fell back, however, when he was extremely unlucky to see his drive hit a stake holding a spectator rope and bounce out of bounds on the sixth to run up a double bogey six.

That effectively put him out of the running and overall victory went to Welshman Phillip Price, who strengthened his bid for a Ryder Cup place by ending his seven-year wait for a second European Tour title.

Price carded a superb final round 64, just one shot outside the course record, for a 15-under-par total and two-shot victory over Ireland's Padraig Harrington and Germany's Sven Struver.

Scotland's Alastair Forsyth, Spain's Ignacio Garrido and New Zealand's Stephen Scahill shared fourth place on 11 under with Germany's Alex Cejka and Australian Brett Rumford another stroke adrift.

Dyson finished with a disappointing round of two over par 74 but should still bank around £11,500 for his efforts.

After his double bogey blow, he dropped a further shot at the 421-yard eighth, then picked up a couple of birdies at the ninth and 10th, only to lose strokes at the following two holes and on the final hole.

That left him with a total score of 279, six shots adrift of winner Price, whose only other win also came in the Portuguese Open in 1994 at Penha Longa.

Price collected the first prize of £104,000 to move up to sixth place in the Ryder Cup standings, while Harrington moved above Lee Westwood into second.

"I think I'm relieved more than anything," admitted Price, who finished eighth on the Order of Merit last season on the back of four second-place finishes, including one behind Tiger Woods in the NEC Invitational.

"I've finished second so many times and I was thinking playing the last three holes 'I just don't want to blow this'.

"I've found it very difficult to win events so to get the job done is very pleasing. It's not very nice having the tag of being the man who finishes second all the time although a lot of it has not been my doing - Gary Orr eagled the last in this event last year to beat me and Jose Maria Olazabal eagled the 17th at The Belfry in the Benson and Hedges.

"It's going to be a big boost to my confidence."

Updated: 12:42 Monday, April 30, 2001