Webster wins and fights back tears

It was not the performance the England rugby team or Lewis Hamilton wanted, but for English golfer Steve Webster it was the best weekend of his career.

Five months after losing his mother Val to cancer the 32-year-old from Nuneaton shot the lowest score of the European Tour season in winning the Portugal Masters in Vilamoura.

Even with a bogey at the last when his second Tour title was in the bag, Webster took the first prize with a 25-under-par aggregate, his closing 64 being the lowest final round by a winner all year.

The amazing part, though, was not the scoring – the Victoria course was there to be taken apart – but the fact that he kept his composure right to the end.

Only when he tapped in to beat Ryder Cup Swede Robert Karlsson by two did Webster dissolve into tears and hold his head in his hands just like Ben Crenshaw at the 1995 Masters.

Crenshaw had just been to the funeral of his coach and mentor Harvey Penick, whereas Webster was remembering his mother.

“It’s quite hard, winning,” he said after hugging his father Terry. “Your emotions are going so far ahead of you and you have to stay in the moment.

“I was thinking about her all the way round. Losing my mum really knocked me about. I didn’t even think I’d get my card because it was quite tough.

“It was so hard to keep my mind on my golf. I knew she was watching out for me and it’s an amazing feeling to play that well down the stretch.”

He even confessed to a “mad” moment, feeling so confident that he hit a five-wood over the lake onto the green at the long 17th when the sensible thing to do was lay up short.

It could have all gone horribly wrong there, but he looked the likely winner from the moment he “nailed” a five-iron over more water to set up a nine-foot eagle putt on the par-five 12th.

His one previous victory, in the 2005 Italian Open, came 10 years after he beat Tiger Woods to be leading amateur in The Open at St Andrews. The second came in his 308th event.

Ernie Els told him two and a half years ago that he was a “top” player and added: “Once you win one you will win a few.”

It has not quite worked out like that so far, but there is still plenty of time.

Webster climbs to sixth in the Ryder Cup race and from 72nd to 26th on the money list. He therefore qualifies for next week’s Volvo Masters, the season-ending event at Valderrama in Spain limited to the top 60 and this year to past champions as well.

As for Els, he still leads the Order of Merit and has a lead over Padraig Harrington at the top.

That is because Justin Rose, needing to finish first or second on the Algarve to leap into the number-one spot, managed only just 21st – the worst finish of his European campaign this year.