GOLF: THANKFULLY his back injury is not serious enough to force him to hang up his putter, but David Howell appears to be forging an alternative career in broadcasting.

Within minutes of sinking a birdie at the last to finish six under par at the British Masters, The 2004 Ryder Cup star was on the microphone in the commentary box.

Howell, pictured left, offered his expert opinion alongside Peter Aliss and took to it like a natural.

But the voice of golf' is unlikely to be replaced by the Swindonian in the near future.

"I don't think so no," said Howell. "I was just helping out a little bit, I'd still rather be playing at the moment thanks."

Howell's final round of 68 propelled him to joint 11th at the Belfry. A fine return following his recent back problem. But the injury is still giving him cause for concern.

"I needed to see how the back was going to hold up over the four rounds," he added.

"It's still not perfect but I think it's just something I'm going to have to play through as much as possible.

"I'm having lots of treatment but it's not going to get better overnight."

Swede Johan Edfors, 410th in the world at the start of the year, became the shock winner of the event after three of the biggest names in European golf all had a day to forget.

With a round to play, Paul Casey led by two from US Open champion Michael Campbell with Darren Clarke one shot further back.

But in what became a comedy of errors, Casey and Clarke both shot 76 and Campbell had a 74 and not one of them even managed second place, let alone take the £300,000 title.

Thirty-year-old Edfors, little-known until now apart from the fact that he used to have Sven-Goran Eriksson's son as his caddie, needed only a closing 70 to take the title with an 11-under-par total of 277.

The winning cheque more than doubled his European tour earnings - and that is even taking into account his maiden victory on the circuit in China in March.

Edfors won there with a closing birdie. This time he triumphed despite a closing bogey and that rather summed up the final day action.

Birdie putts of 25 feet at the 15th and 17th, the two par fives on the inward half of the famous Ryder Cup venue, were the shots which suddenly make him a leading candidate for this September's match in Dublin.

England's Gary Emerson (67), Scot Stephen Gallacher (71) and Swede Jarmo Sandelin (70) finished joint second - and would have been in a play-off if they had birdied the 473-yard last.

Casey and Campbell came to the hole in the same position but were hardly full of confidence after what had gone before - and once both had missed the green, they bogeyed to fall into a tie for fifth place.

Clarke, meanwhile, bogeyed three of the last four and ended up only tied 11th.