BOURNEMOUTH'S Gary Emerson produced one of the 'best weekends' of his career to finish seventh in the Portuguese Open on April 3.

Emerson carded the best final 36-hole total of 133 after rounds of 66 and 67 to finish on seven under par and earn a cheque for £26,000.

"That has to go down as one of the most satisifying weekends of my career," said a delighted Emerson.

"The manner in which I carved out my 66 was particularly pleasing. The weather conditions were horrendous and it took me eight-and-half hours to complete my round after three delays due to rain."

Remarkably, Emerson, who was first to tee off on Saturday after scraping past the halfway cut mark, climbed 49 places to 14th going into the final round.

"It was the joint best score of the day and at least eight better than most of the early starters," added Emerson, who finished six shots behind winner Paul Broadhurst (13 under par).

Emerson also leapt up the European Tour Order of Merit table from 123rd to 56th place and has given himself an excellent chance of keeping his playing privileges for next year.

Next port of call for the 41-year-old Broadstone touring professional is the Madeira Island Open on Thursday April 8.