Marshall moving in right direction

Norfolk's Andrew Marshall picked up his second biggest pay cheque of the season at the Omega Masters inSwitzerland yesterday to boost his chances of keeping his European Tour card.

The Dereham professional recorded an excellent four under round of 67 at Crans-sur-Sierre to finish in a tie for 25th position.

That earned him 19,300 Euros and took his prize-money for the season up to just under 119,000 Euros, around £80,000.

Marshall had started the day at one over par after an up-an-down round of 72 on Saturday, but soared up the leaderboard with a run of four birdies in five holes around the turn.

He is now 168th in the Order of Merit - but is still likely to require around 100,000 Euros between now and the end of the season to retain his full playing privileges.

Australian Brett Rumford birdied the first play-off hole to claim victory in dramatic fashion. Rumford chipped in from off the 18th green to beat England's Phillip Archer after the pair had finished tied on 16 under par. Archer's approach had also run through the green but the 35-year-old from Warrington - who carded a closing 65 - was unable to match Rumford's feat and had to settle for his second runners-up finish of the season.

Rumford had led by one with two holes to play but bogeyed the 17th, just as Archer had done 20 minutes earlier.

The 30-year-old from Perth, winner of the St Omer Open in 2003 and Irish Open in 2004, had a birdie putt from 15ft to win in regulation but failed to convert, giving defending champion Bradley Dredge a chance to make it a three-way play-off. However, Dredge missed from a similar distance to finish third on 15 under par, one ahead of fellow Welshman Sion Bebb who enjoyed his best ever finish on the European Tour with a closing 68.

Rumford said: "It was tracking all the way and I thought it was coming up short but the breeze took it in. You are just suspended there for that brief second."