CRAIG LEE MAKES TOP 20 IN COLOMBIA'S CHALLENGE TOUR EVENT

Craig Lee improved from 27th position overnight to a final placing of 19th on three-under-par 281 in the European Challenge Tour event in Colombia.

Lee, pictured, had rounds of 70, 71, 69 and 71 over the par-71 course.

The Stirling man was in the top 10 at one stage of his final round aftrer birdieing the first and fourth and getting an eagle 3 at the eighth to be out in three-under-par 33.

But his charged shuddered to a halt with four shots spilled to par over three holes down the home straight - a double bogey 6 at the 14th and bogeys at the 15th and 16th.

A birdie at the 18th did repair some damage.

Jack Doherty peaked too early in the tournament, opening with a 68 but never reaching that high again. He had subsequent rounds of 73, 71 and 72 for level par 284 and a share of 34th place. He had been in 27th at the start of the round.

For Gavin Dear it was not so much sublime to the ridiculous as the other way round. He started with a 75 and then shot a three-under 68 in the second round. In the third round the Murrayshall man plumbed the depths with a 77 but back he bounced to finish with a 69 - a real roller-coaster ride of a tournament for the former Walker Cup player who tied for 58th place on 289.

At the sharp end of the tournament, it was a play-off on 10-under-par 274 for Argentina's Joaquin Estevez (68-69-70-67) and Charles Russol (71-66-68-69).

Steve Todd writes:
Argentina’s Joaquin Estevez produced a grandstand finish to win the Abierto International Copa Antioquia in Colombia, birdieing the last four holes of regulation play before winning a play-off with a yet another birdie.
His five-birdie finish at Club Campestre was too much for Frenchman Charles Russo, who battled against a back-nine wobble by birdieing the 72nd hole to draw level with Estevez on ten under par 274. But there was no stopping the charging 26 year old Argentine as he carried his momentum into extra holes, draining a 12ft putt for victory.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 284 (4x71)

274 J Estevez (Arg) 68 69 70 67, C Russo (Fra) 71 66 68 69

275 D Vanegas (Col) 68 68 72 67
276 N Meitinger (Ger) 72 66 67 71, W Wilcox (USA) 66 65 72 73
277 M Baldwin (Eng) 71 68 67 71, E Grillo (am) (Arg) 69 68 69 71, V Covello (USA) 69 72 68 68, B Fritsch (Can) 69 66 70 72, R Gomez (Arg) 65 69 74 69
278 S Rivas (Col) 67 71 70 70, J Garrido (Col) 66 68 72 72
279 W Besseling (Ned) 70 66 74 69, B Evans (Eng) 69 72 72 66, A Canete (Arg) 74 69 69 67, G Houston (Wal) 69 67 71 72
280 A Snobeck (Fra) 71 71 65 73, M Lundberg (Swe) 71 66 71 72
281 J Campillo (Esp) 73 70 69 69, C Lee (Sco) 70 71 69 71, P Gustafsson (Swe) 67 69 73 72, D Vanegas (Col) 71 71 72 67, R Blaum (USA) 69 73 66 73, P Del Grosso (Arg) 66 72 70 73, P Archer (Eng) 70 73 69 69, J Lima (Por) 73 69 69 70
282 D Barbetti (Arg) 74 64 70 74, E Dominguez (Arg) 71 69 69 73
283 A Tadini (Ita) 68 72 73 70, A Pinedo (Col) 66 70 75 72, A Butterfield (Eng) 69 71 69 74, M Merizalde (Col) 68 70 72 73, J Palmer (Eng) 72 71 71 69
284 J Doherty (Sco) 68 73 71 72, D Vancsik (Arg) 71 67 74 72, W Murillo (Ven) 69 72 70 73, N Kearney (Irl) 68 74 72 70, C Serna (Col) 74 68 69 73
285 H Cespedes (Par) 70 70 71 74, A Bernadet (Fra) 68 74 71 72, C Monasterio (Arg) 71 71 70 73, S Fernandez (Arg) 72 69 68 76
286 N Lemke (Swe) 72 70 72 72, A Adrian (Ven) 71 72 71 72, M Garcia (Arg) 70 71 72 73, M Kieffer (Ger) 73 67 72 74, C Carranza (Arg) 72 69 74 71, L Dodda (Arg) 68 73 73 72, A Arizabaleta (Col) 67 70 78 71
287 M Delpodio (Ita) 70 72 74 71, J Habig (USA) 74 68 76 69, E Dubois (Fra) 72 69 75 71
288 M Rodriguez (Arg) 72 70 73 73, S Saavedra (Arg) 71 71 76 70, G Jackson (Eng) 70 72 75 71, M Relancio (Arg) 72 71 70 75, H Leon (Chi) 74 69 74 71
289 G Dear (Sco) 75 68 77 69, A Rodriguez (Arg) 71 71 71 76
290 J Osmar (Col) 72 69 73 76, S Salem (Per) 71 72 75 72
291 M Ford (Eng) 76 67 74 74, P Salem (Per) 73 69 76 73
293 J Vega (am) (Col) 71 70 73 79