Ames wins Lyon title

LYON, France (Agencies): Stephen Ames became the first West Indian golfer to win on the European Tour when he survived the iciest of ordeals to capture the Lyon Open here on Monday.

The 29-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago - where there are only two 18-hole courses - beat the Australian-reared Swede Gabriel Hjertstedt into second place for the second year running.

Ames finished with a six-under par total of 282 after hitting a final round of 74 in rainy and windy conditions for a two-shot victory.

Hjertstedt, who had a 77, finished alongside Pedro Linhart, a newcomer from the Canary Islands, who had a last round 72 despite an eight at the 15th.

Australian Wayne Riley, who led the field into the last day at ten under par, collapsed to a closing 79 for a 285 total and fourth place ahead of Gary Orr.

Ames, whose grandmother lives in Devon, is half-British and now has a base in Calgary, the home town of his Canadian wife Jodi.

He first came to Europe last season and nearly won his first event, the Madeira Open.

Now he has made the breakthrough after putting his faith in the teachings of his British coach Keith Woods and his wife's insistence on positive thinking.

Ironically, she was not in France to witness him become the fourth new winner in seven weeks, because she had gone home to Canada for the Easter holiday and to rest an Achiles tendon injury suffered while caddying for her husband.

Crenshaw confident

In Augusta, Georgia, Greg Norman is not the only player going into this week's Masters brimming with confidence.

Ben Crenshaw appeared to be bursting with self-assurance on Monday, the day after his impressive victory in New Orleans and 10 years after he won the Masters for his only major title.

"I'm excited. I feel capable of winning," Crenshaw, 42, said after a practice round at the Augusta National Golf Club.

"I feel like I'm hitting the ball solidly," added Crenshaw. "I feel like I can accomplish something this week."

Norman's astounding 24-under-par victory at the Players Championship two weeks ago made him the top favorite here, but Crenshaw's victory on Sunday certainly has made him a top contender.

Crenshaw, one of the game's great putters, was also playing well just before the 1984 Masters, when he shot a final round 68 to beat Tom Watson by two strokes.

While putting is Crenshaw's strength, it has been his driving that has kept him from the top of the leaderboard recently. But that seemed to have changed at New Orleans.

Crenshaw, a keen student of the history of the game and of golf course architecture, said Augusta is precisely the type of course that offers players "chances."

Crenshaw, who has played in 22 Masters, including two as an amateur, has had his chances at other times but came up short. Selected final scores (GB unless stated):

282 - Stephen Ames (Trinidad and Tobago) 70 67 71 74 284 - Gabriel Hjertstedt (Sweden) 68 68 71 77, Pedro Linhart

(Spa) 72 68 72 72 285 - Wayne Riley (Aus) 69 68 69 79 286 - Gary Orr 69 66 76 75 287 - David Gilford 70 73 71 73, Michel Besanceney (Fra) 69 75

68 75 288 - Miles Tunnicliff 72 68 75 73, Philip Walton 72 71 72 73,

Gordon J Brand 70 69 73 76 289 - Lee Westwood 73 71 72 73, Santiago Luna (Spa) 72 71 73

73, Torsten Giedeon (Ger) 71 72 70 76 290 - Keith Waters 71 72 75 72, Alexander Cejka (Ger) 70 77

71 72, Jim Payne 71 69 74 76, Ronan Rafferty 73 70 71 76,

Heinz-Peter Thul (Ger) 72 72 69 77. 291 - Russell Claydon 74 67 76 74, Peter Mitchell 73 69 73 76