As Sunday dawned as a definite ‘no bricks’ day, such bursts of scoring were commonplace amongst the early starters, and many held stories for individual players just as important to the next few weeks or careers.

Roger Chapman lost his card in 2004 and ha had to rely on an invite here and there or travelling across the globe to take up opportunities the Tour could give in the Spring part of its schedule. Six birdies going out and and Chapman had made his way back to level par and inside the top 10, a position that would give him a place in next week’s Irish Open as of right.

As it was Chapman was Faldoesque on the back nine, all pars for a 66. Each birdie he could have made, was approximately a £12.5K step towards the jackpot of his card if he could reach –4 and equal Ian Poulter’s course record from two years ago.

Poulter was trying to repeat his low score this time by putting virtually everything he saw from 15ft.

‘It just goes to show what I can do when I am in the right frame of mind. I love this course and I always play well round here. Its just unfortunate I have left this a little late.’

It was a final round of 64 for Poulter, the first bogey free round of the week and one which saw the snappiest dresser on the Tour fail to take advantage of three of the par fives, so the possibilities were something around 61. Darren Clarke’s start, from eight back of the lead, was pointing to even better.

Having made three at the short par four second, and hit a monster drive at the next, Clarke selected a five iron from 215 yards and promptly stuffed it in the hole for an albatross, the third of the year on the European Tour and a shot which would give Clarke an Omega watch in recognition. He was after much more.

In three holes, he had moved to just five back with the leaders well over an hour away from teeing off. He added to those numbers with birdies at the 7th and the 8th and then reached –5 with another four at the 12th.

By this time Michael Campbell was playing his first six holes in par, and keeping his cool after a succession of bits of bad luck which culminated in his second to the par five 7th bouncing hard on the green and leaving hime 20ft from the flag but behind a tree. He had also had troubles on the 3rd, the hole that Darren Clarke had played in 2, when a BBC buggy ran over his ball in the rough.

Others were now making their own moves. Firstly there was an eagle from Brian Davis at the 7th, which with a birdie at the 9th left the Londoner tied with Campbell. Thomas Bjorn finished the front nine 2 3 to go to –5 whilst Steve Webster was recovering from a disaster of a six at the 4th with three birdies up to the 12th to go to –5 as well.

The Clarke charge then came to a halt with a bogey at the 16th and no birdie at the 17th and a bogey at the last – it would be a 67 which had promised so much. Campbell found the rough at the 12th and would not get his four. At the next, he pulled his shot behind a tree, chipped out, left his approach short and did not get up and down. At virtually the same moment as Campbell missed, Brian Davis was repairing the damage of two bogeys to start the back nine with a birdie at the 14th.

Further back, but pointers for the next two weeks, included a nearest the pin hit of 2ft 9 inches by Irishman Paul McGinley to finish with a 68. McGinley is actually sponsored by BMW and the prize was a Jaguar, one of this tournament’s sponsors, so it would have been likely that the prize would go to one of Paul’s family – had he one it. The nearest of the rest of the shots came from Colin Montgomerie, 23 inches further away, until Oliver Wilson crowned a terrible day on the rest of the course by sticking his approach to just a few inches and taking home the £33K car.

Monty managed a 69 and next week, as designer of the course to be used for the Irish open, will have much PR to do. His 69 was also the first use of a short putter for a number of years. The ‘long stick’ was not in his bag because of nerves, just because he wanted to try something different. That difference has now apparently gone asmissing the short 15th ‘its not working for me’.

To add to the list of Irish players showing some form, Graham McDowell closed with a seven birdie 66. Barry Lane also put in a stout defense of his Masters title with two twos in his last four holes for a 68.

The leaders were now on the last five and missing the short 15th cost both Davis and Campbell. Davis fought back with a four at the 17th and watched as David Howell, who had seemed to be drifting away, made an eagle to follow two birdies in a row.

Would it be a first win since 1999, the Dubai Desert Classic and over 160 tournaments played without claiming a trophy?

Two Webster mistakes and he was gone. Thomas Bjorn now entered the picture with his own three at the 17th to go to –6. The title was Howells if he could par the 18th. One of the most affable people you could ever want to meet, Howell put his tee shot in the bunker right and made bogey so there three players to go back to the 18th for the play-off.

Watched by their respective partners, Bjorn, Davis and Howell hit three very different tee shots. Bjorn was 18ft from the flag on the putting surface, Howell and Davis either side of the green. Howell made a very good pitch to five feet and holed for a par. Davis was bolder and having seen Bjorn just miss for his winning two, had very much the same line but could not make it.

Howell missed the green again when he and Bjorn returned to the 18th tee. This time he could not up and down his shot and with two very safe putts, it was a first win in 57 tournaments and his 14th win as a professional for Bjorn.

A full interview with Thomas Bjorn will be available tomorrow afternoon.

Steve Webster more than enjoyed his time at the Forest, evoking memories of good performances in the English Open when it was held at the course three years ago.

‘I was a bit stop and start. I played well in spells. Overall I loved it but I need to control the distances I am hitting it.

‘I had 200 yards into 17 and I used a 6 iron. I was that pumped up I hit it 215, just flew the green.

I am just looking forward to next week.’

Paul Broadhurst rued a change of wind one course, at the 8th, which caused his balal to be short enough to spin back into the water and cost him a double bogey.

‘It should have been downwind but (the wind) it switched – I am standing there admiring it then it rolls back I go to the next and I am +2 when everyone else is –2.

‘I was disappointed when I woke up and saw it was flat calm. When you are not on your game you can let it ride a bit with the wind. I knew I had no chance in conditions like this.

‘You have to play properly when its flat like this. In bad conditions the leaders are going be able to take 75 easily.’