SIMON Dyson showed nerves of steel as he claimed a European Tour card.

The first-year professional, who plays out of the Malton and Norton club, had left himself plenty of work to do in the final round of the qualifying school at Spain's San Roque.

Lying 41st equal going into the last 18 holes he needed to lift himself into the top 35 to gain his card.

And the pressure was on him throughout the final round as he reached the last hole still needing a birdie to ensure he qualified.

As it was his nerve held and he produced an approach shot that left him with a putt of six feet to make the mark and complete a one under par round of 71 - leaving him 33rd in the field after rounds of 71 80 75 65 71 71 for a 433 aggregate.

"It felt like 20 feet!" said Dyson of that final putt.

"That was tough. I thought playing four rounds in the heat of Asia was hard, but it's nothing compared to this."

For 22-year-old Dyson, who has won twice on the Asian Tour this year with back-to-back successes in the Macau and Volvo China Opens and remains second on the Davidoff Tour rankings, it is a major achievement just 14 months after starring as an amateur in the victorious Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup side at Nairn before making the decision to turn professional.

It means that Dyson has earned full European Tour playing privileges for next year, while he retains his qualification for the Asian Tour - his current ranking having already secured him a place for the coming three seasons - and he will return to Asia next week for the last three events of the year, the Thailand Open, Singapore Open and Omega Hong Kong Open.

Aside from rubbing shoulders with top British stars such as Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood next term, Dyson will be joined by former Heworth professional Neil Cheetham.

Cheetham, who is currently with Doncaster club Barlborough, was not under quite so much pressure having been well placed going into the final round and his 71 secured him his European card at the fifth attempt.

However, there was disappointment for Leeds trio Stuart Cage, Simon Hurd and Iain Pyman.

Cage, the Cannes Open winner in 1997, dropped back to 55th with a five over par final round, and he will now be allowed around nine tournament starts on the Tour next year - as will Hurd and Pyman who finished 52nd and 63rd, respectively.

Tiger Woods eagled the 18th hole to force a play-off with Vijay Singh then repeated the feat to defeat the Masters champion and capture his third consecutive Grand Slam of Golf title in Hawaii.

Woods levelled the 36-hole showdown, usually reserved for major champions, with a final-round four-under-par 68 to match the Fiji veteran at five-under 139 for the lead in the four-man event.