Steve Webster had been saying all week that he was striking the golf ball beautifully but putting like a drain.

On the fifth hole at Wentworth yesterday, the first part of his appraisal mattered and the second not at all.

Webster dispatched his six-iron with such masterly precision that he did not have to take his putter out of his bag. He achieved the first hole-in-one of his tournament career and when he said afterwards that he was very pleased, he could have been ecstatic.

Had he nailed his ace at the 14th, he would have won a £60,000 BMW. As it was, they gave him a bottle of champagne.

Webster has had "six or seven" holes-in-one in practice, including a couple at his home course, Atherstone.

But this was his first one-shot hole in competitive golf.

"I hit it great," he said. "Eight yards left of the pine, as I aimed. I knew it was close to the hole, but nobody clapped. But that green is so quick, the ball picked up pace and all of a sudden everybody was jumping up and down. It was a great feeling."

Webster had four birdies in his round which was worth 69 and took him to a very respectable five-under-par for the tournament. He is going to Walton Heath for the US Open qualifying and the Wales Open on Thursday can't come quickly enough for him.

He found out last evening that he is in the Open Championship, joining Wales' Stephen Dodd and Swede Peter Hanson in the field after the trio were the Order of Merit's three leading non-exempt players at the close of the PGA Championship.

It was excellent news for an increasingly confident golfer. "I'm aiming for the top 50 in the world," he said.

Webster's ace brought him in one shot better than his neighbour, Paul Broadhurst, who shot his third 70 for a total of 284. Or, he shot the equivalent of his initials - PB. Personal best.

Broadhurst, as we constantly report, doesn't like Wentworth and the best finish he had ever recorded was 33rd, he couldn't remember when.

This latest was a decent effort but, as usual, there were a string of qualifying clauses. "At one stage I said to my caddy, "I hate this golf course; I absolutely detest it"," said Broadhurst.

"I don't really know why but perhaps it is because it has so many bad memories."

His opinion of the place did not change over the closing holes for, as he said, he didn't hit a decent shot. And still made two pars and birdies on the 17th and 18th. "Four putts for the last four holes. Amazing. But it wasn't very pretty," he said.

For 14 holes, though, Broadhurst had been forced to agree that he had played some good golf. The changes that he is trying to make to his downswing worked, sometimes, and then didn't. "It's either there or it isn't," he said. But he wasn't as critical of the course at the end of his round as in the middle. "I might put Wentworth in my diary for next year."