STEVE Richardson's 12-year career as a European PGA Tour regular is over.

The former Ryder Cup star agonisingly missed out on his playing rights for 2002 by just one shot at San Roque last night.

It was Richardson's fourth successive visit to Tour School and the first time he's failed to secure his card but he admitted: "It will do me good to have a year off. I'm not sure I want to be on the Tour hitting the ball like I am.

"I played well on the first day out here but I have been pretty ropey since."

Richardson's demise capped a bleak day for south coast golfers. His Hayling Island neighbour Matt Blackey finished in a tie for 57th place while Dorset's Shaun Webster finished on the same four-under par total as Richardson after bogeying two of his last three holes.

Although Richardson's European Tour career began in a blaze of glory with two wins in the first three events of his first full season in 1991, it began to wane after this third and last win in the German Masters of 1993.

He never managed to recover his magic touch, but helped by coach Jason Banting, went to San Roque quietly confident and looked on course for a place among the top 35 qualifiers until the last eight holes of his last round when it all went horribly wrong again.

He went through the turn at six under and, when he birdied the tenth, the man from Lee-on-Solent looked home and dry.

Then, after bogeys at the 11th and 14th, he came to the last needing a par to be sure of making his card.

The pressure seemed to get to him. Richardson drove on to the downslope of a mound, and a desperate lunge of a swing with a five wood sent the ball careering towards the water.

But he got a lucky break as it hit a bridge and rebounded on to the fairway.

But he didn't capitalise, pulling on eight-iron approach well wide of the pin and needed two putts - and that was one too many.

The fact that Richardson finished 37th will afford him a high enough category, however, to figure in some of the lower rated European Tour events in 2002.

Blackey knows how he feels because he missed out by one shot last year. This year, though, the man who had three-top ten finishes in 2001, didn't fire at Tour School.

When he went through Saturday's four-day cut at one- under par, he knew he had to start shooting 60s.

But a mix of bogeys and birdies left him one over for the last two rounds and well out of the running.

Two other Ryder Cup players Paul Broadhurst and Philip Walton were well out of it, but Welshman David Park made it despite a nightmare last round of 80.