Brilliant Ben achieves best Euro Tour finish

The Staplecross-based professional produced a terrific performance to come tied ninth in the Trophee Hassan II at Golf Du Palais Royal in Agadir.

Evans completed the 72-hole event in a total of 281 to finish alongside four other players on seven-under-par, including Spanish great Jose Maria Olazabal. They were all three shots behind Scottish winner Richie Ramsay.

The 28-year-old made a good start with a three-under-par 69 in round one on Thursday. Playing in the very last group starting at the first, Evans carded five birdies, including three in four holes from the ninth, and two bogeys, one of which came at the last.

He followed that with a two-under 70 on Friday to sit tied fifth at the halfway stage. Starting at the 10th this time, Evans made four birdies and a double bogey in his first nine holes before carding one birdie and one bogey on his second nine.

Round three on Saturday was the only one in which Evans didn’t break par as he lost ground with a two-over 74. Bogeys at the seventh and eighth were cancelled out by birdies at the ninth and 11th, but he double bogeyed the par three 12th for the second day running before bogeying the 15th and birdieing the 17th.

Evans finished strongly, however, with his best round of the week - a four-under 68 yesterday (Sunday). Birdies at the fourth and sixth were offset by a double bogey at the fifth before Evans put together an excellent back nine of 32 featuring birdies at the 10th, 11th, 15th and 17th (for the fourth time in as many days).

It was Evans’s second top 20 finish in his last three European Tour events having come tied 12th at last month’s Hero Indian Open and he moves up to 119th on the season-long Race To Dubai standings.

Evans, of Rye and Sedlescombe Golf Clubs, expects to play in around 20 of the lower profile events on the 2015 European Tour schedule having finished 17th on the second tier European Challenge Tour rankings in 2014.