DERWYNNE Honan spent a week teaching and playing in Spain before returning to produce one of the rounds of his life to win the Bournemouth Alliance-Dorset PGA medal at Isle of Purbeck.

The director of golf at The Dorset won by six shots to regain the Uniroyal Quaich he last won at Parkstone three years ago.

"I haven't played as well since," said the 39-year-old Wembley-born son of Welsh parents, with a huge smile.

Perhaps practice at Valderrama, San Roque and Sotogrande in similar warm and sunny conditions to those he experienced at the idyllic Purbeck course helped.

But his iron play was immaculate. Once he had settled down, he was in supreme form.

Yet the way he started gave no hint of what was to follow. He started from the eighth and dropped three shots over the first eight holes with bogeys at the 11th, 12th and 15th.

Then he fired laser-like irons at the remaining pins. "I didn't hit the ball outside about six feet after that," he said after making seven birdies in the final ten hole.

That included six threes in seven holes from the 16th. He picked up shots on the 16th, 17th, first, second and third before he concluded his round with two further birdies on the sixth and seventh.

His card shows that he played the front nine in five-under-par 31 and his round of 66 was four below par.

He said: "I hit the ball very close and some approaches finished inches from the flag. Putting is usually my weakness, but I also putted well. My trip to Spain certainly helped for I was in the right frame of mind.

"That was my best round of golf for ages probably since I won the same trophy in 2000."

Mike Werner, winner of the previous medal at Canford Magna, shot 86-71 on his home course to finish second. He was followed by Paul Torrible (Meyrick Park, 81-73) and Giles Legg (72-73) and Marcus Cahill, (Meyrick Park) 90-74.

Dudsbury secretary Legg, who plays off plus one, had to concede a shot even to the professionals, so he thoroughly deserved to win the amateur gross award.

Professional medal: 66 Derwynne Honan (The Dorset),72 Martin Cummins (Canford Magna), Carl Jessup (Knighton Heath), 73 Ian Brake (Isle of Purbeck), Mark Wiggett (Dudsbury), 74 Kevin Spurgeon (Dudsbury)m, David Cooper (Canford Magna), Graham Howell (Ferndown Forest), David Miles (Meyrick Park).