SALISBURY golfer Gary Emerson had a sweet-and-sour day in the Turespana Majorca Classic yesterday.

Emerson's final round of 69 gave him a three-round total of 206 in the rain-shortened event and his highest-ever finish of equal third on the European Tour.

But the prizemoney of £15,972, though welcome, still leaves him in 128th spot in the rankings on 140,994 euro and needing around another 28,000 euro from next week's final event of the season, the Telefonica Open de Madrid, to keep his European Tour card for next year.

Even if Emerson, pictured, fails to make it, he still looks in good form to impress at qualifying school and earn his card that way, judging by his superb second round of 64 in Majorca. He kept his nerve to fire a birdie two on the last to move into his two-way tie for third spot with England's Jamie Spence.

They finished just two shots behind winner Miguel Angel Jimenez, who collected £47,279 for his efforts.

Jimenez won after an amazing late collapse by Jose Maria Olazabal.

Olazabal led by two shots with two holes to play but drove out of bounds to double-bogey the 17th and then bogeyed the last as well to hand his fellow Spaniard the title.

Jimenez had set the clubhouse target with a six-under-par total of 204 after a superb closing 65, but was so confident Olazabal would win he had changed clothes ready for the prize-giving ceremony. News then filtered through of Olazabal's mishap and Jimenez changed back into his golfing gear to watch the tense finale from the driving range.

"Just imagine how I feel right now,'' said a distraught Olazabal, whose last European Tour win came almost two years ago in Hong Kong.

Spence shed tears of relief after securing his card and avoiding a first visit to the qualifying school since 1989, despite a bogey on the last.

"It's been a nightmare, it's all I've thought about for the last three months,'' said the 39-year-old from Kent.

Matthew Blackey shot a final round of 74 to finish well down the field on 214 but has done enough to ensure playing privileges for next season. He is 107th on the order of merit, with the top 115 qualifying for their cards, and has won 184,135 euro.

Southampton's Richard Bland is 134th on the order of merit with 137,215 euro after missing the cut in Majorca.

The Majorca event was co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Challenge Tour, meaning the small amount of money that Martin LeMesurier gained for his 217 finish has taken him to the top of the Challenge Tour standings on a shade over 84,000 euro - just under 500 euro ahead of the second-placed man, Austria's Martin Wiegle.

Brokenhurst's LeMesurier has already clinched his European card but the golfer who finishes top of the Challenge Tour will be invited to some of the more prestigious events next season.