THRILLING WRITERS' GOLF CLIMAX ON

CARDS AT CARNOUSTIE FINALE

The stage is set for a thrilling climax to the European Golf & Travel Media Association's Carnoustie Country Challenge, sponsored by Visit Scotland, over the Carnoue championship links tomorrow.

Only 10 Stableford points separate the leading quartet with one round to go over a course that will separate the men from the boys in the international field.

Two Irishmen, Matt Browne from Co Wicklow and Limerick's Brian Gavin, lead the way with 72 and 68pt respectively. Next comes the EGTMA supreme Irish-based Belgian writer Jo Maes with 65pt and in fourth place is Alan Hedley from the North-east of England with 62pt.

After rounds at Monifieth and Montrose, Wednesday's round should have been played at Letham Grange but was switched to the Carnoustie Burnside course due to the adverse weather conditions at the inland course.

Photographer Gavin put himself in the picture with the week's highest one-round haul of 41pt. Brian, who plays off 13, had gross birdies at Burnside's 15^th and 16^th, earning 4pt at each, which helped him to an inward Stableford tally of 24pt.

In the four-cornered women's title-race, it should be an even tighter finish with only five points between leader Sue Farmer, an Algarve-based English golf writer, on 65pt and fourth-placed Lia Grooters from the Netherlands with 60.

Geraldine Bradley from Northern Ireland, who had a knee operation recently, had the ladies' best score at Burnside – 35pt – is in third place a point behind second-placed Ann Mooney from Cork.

Under the rules of the competition, the competitors were able to discount one of their first three rounds but the closing 18 holes at Carnoustie must be counted.

HOW THEY STAND

Men

(Points scores at Monifieth, Montrose & Burnside; lowest discarded).

72pt M Browne (Ire) (17) 28 36 36.

68 B Gavin (Ire) (13) 27 23 41.

65 J Maes (Bel) (8) 30 20 35.

62 A Hedley (Eng) (10) 30 32 29.

59 L Roren (Nor) (12) 32 27 26, L Lapa (Lat) (26) 26 24 33, N Webber (Eng) (11) 28 13 31.

58 J Russell (Por) (19) 27 31 27.

56 B Haller (Ger) (15) 29 7 27, M Rees (Eng) (13) 26 29 27.

54 B Ward (Eng) (16) 23 23 31.

51 D Shaw (Eng) (18) 24 23 27.

50 G Farmer (Por) (13) 26 24 21.

49 J Patricio (Por) (21) 17 10 32.

45 V Bernstein (Bel) (10) 26 19 17, G Karas (Lux) (15) 22 23 22.

34 E Riordan (Ire) (18) 17 17 17.

Women

65pt S Farmer (Por) (20) 37 26 28.

63 A Mooney (Ire) (19) 30 17 33.

62 G Bradley (NIr) (25) 27 10 35.

60 L Grooters (Net) (32) 25 30 30.

INTERNATIONAL TEAM SWEEPSTAKE

97pt R McStravick, A Mooney, J Patricio.

93pt B Gavin, V Bernstein, J Maes.

88pt M Browne, B Ward, G Farmer.