HARTLEPOOL'S Graeme Storm has maintained a steady start to his first season back on the European Tour by pocketing £5,000 in the Dubai Desert Classic.

Despite finishing 14 shots adrift of the winner, Ernie Els, Storm maintained his proud record of not missing a cut this season and finished 47th in a strong line-up.

After shooting a three under par 69 on Saturday the 26-year-old went round in level par yesterday to card a four round total of 283, five under, at the Emirates Golf Club.

Storm had three bogeys at six, 11 and 15 to cancel out the birdies he made at the third, 13th and 18th. But his placing keeps him ticking along nicely and he is ranked 32nd in the Volvo Order of Merit as he goes into a week off.

Ashington's Kenneth Ferrie missed the cut on Friday after a second round 75.

Els eagled the last to clinch one of the most dramatic victories of his illustrious career.

The 35-year-old South African's 58th professional win came when he sank a curling 18-foot putt on the 547-yard hole then saw long-time leader Miguel Angel Jimenez three-putt the same green.

A play-off looked the best Els, winner of the title in 1994 and 2002, could hope for when he came to the last tee in third place, behind Jimenez and Welshman Stephen Dodd.

The Ryder Cup Spaniard was favourite to win when he hit the green in two. But he was 70 feet away, and after not reading enough break, he was left with a six-footer.

Els, meanwhile, crunched a huge drive and had only 178 yards left. With the flag close to the lake, nobody had eagled the hole all day. But the world No 3 hit a towering six-iron and got the line of his putt exactly right.

Suddenly Jimenez's putt was to stay alive.

When it missed Els, who was in contention for all four majors last season and did not win one of them, had grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat.

''I'm lost for words," he said. "This is definitely a big win for me, especially the fashion I won it in. In the last three or four years I've won a lot and lost a lot. This is one I pulled out of the hat - a nice change for me.''

On the two previous occasions he picked up this trophy he went on to land a major. Els' closing 68 gave him the £191,477 first prize with a 19-under-par total of 269 and left Jimenez and Dodd - round in 70 and a superb 66 respectively - sharing second.

Colin Montgomerie was fourth, not quite enough to take him back into the world's top 50, and so he will play in China in two weeks still trying to grab a place in next month's Masters.