ONE of Hampshire's finest golfers paid a high price for his honesty during a Matchroom/EuroProTour event in Portugal.

Brokenhurst Manor tournament professional Martin Le Mesurier disqualified himself from the Quinta Da Marinya tournament after realising that he played a shot from an environmentally protected area of the golf course.

His ball had landed on a red line on a lateral water hazard. He played his ball without initially realising that it was an area protecting rare plants from which he should have taken a penalty drop.

"No one saw me and I went on to finish my round," said Le Mesurier, "but when I found that I had made a mistake I went to the organisers and disqualified myself."

Sad thing is that Le Mesurier was in contention for victory. A final round of 67 left him in what would have been second place with a best ever personal prize of £5,000, the perfect present for his 26th birthday just two days after the tournament!

"It was a costly mistake," said the Blackfield & Langley-based golfer, "but I couldn't have lived with myself if I hadn't owned up to what I had done."

The former Hampshire amateur champion was riding high in the EuroProTour order of merit after two top five finishes. A second place would have pushed him close to the top of the rankings.

A top four place at the end of the season would qualify him for most of next season's European Challenge Tour events. It will also carry an exemption through to the second stage of the European Tour School qualifying competition.

So it would be desperate luck indeed if Le Mesurier's slip-up in Portugal were to cost him that precious top four slot.

Dame Fortune hasn't been kind to the youngster as it is.

Last autumn he was on course to qualify for Final Tour School until gale-force winds lashed his venue and left him one shot off the cut.

The sting in the tail was that the last day's play at the other three venues was cancelled

He reflected: "The qualifiers from there went through on 54 holes play. Ours was the only venue where the result was based on 72 holes."

Le Mesurier took a while to shake off the bitter disappointment of it all because the former United States college player is widely regarded as having the game to go through Final Tour School.

Instead he finds himself in the largely UK-based EuroProTour, regarded as the third division of professional golf but a much-improved series nevertheless after striking up a partnership with Barry Hearne's Matchroom organisation.

Victory carries a first prize of £10,000 but Le Mesurier points out: "You have to finish top five to make any real money considering that it costs £250 to enter each tournament."

He was fifth best qualifier for the series which peaks with co-sanctioned events with the Challenge Tour - the Charles Church Challenge Tour Championship at Bowood on July 25 and the Formby Hall Challenge on September 25.

For Le Mesurier they represent one of two twin peaks of his season. The other will be trying to go all the way to Tour School in November to complete some unfinished business.