YORK-BORN golf star Simon Dyson was left cursing the seventh hole at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Club venue of the Portuguese Masters.

Dyson finished the European Tour and Ryder Cup points ranking tournament 15 shots off the lead with a five-under-par four-round total of 283 (70 67 75 71), but if it had not been for the par-four 509-yard seventh hole at the Vilamoura-based course he might well have been in the top 20.

The 31-year-old Dyson, still ranked 44th in the world, emulated his second-round drudgery of double-bogeying the seventh with a second successive six shots in Saturday’s third round, where his challenge effectively faded with another three bogeys brightened by just a brace of birdies.

Then for good measure, the seventh proved another burden in yesterday’s one-under-par final round in which he again dropped a shot there.

Just parring that troublesome seventh in all four rounds would have elevated the 31-year-old Malton & Norton GC ace to a sizeable cheque and more points towards his Ryder Cup placing which slipped from first place after his sparking Alfred Dunhill Links Trophy triumph of a fortnight ago.