Rumford the toast of Baltray

BIRTHDAY boy Brett Rumford - he is 27 tomorrow - will be able to afford a decent hotel after his surprise but well-merited win in the Nissan Irish Open at Baltray yesterday.

Rumford, from Perth, Australia, recounted after the triumph that earned him €316,660 and numerous perks how he had stayed in a house near the course with two other players and a couple of caddies.

"The shower was pretty crappy, so I nipped over to the clubhouse in the morning and had another in the evening before going back," he said with the kind of happy smile that only a man who has achieved a life-changing experience can produce.