CUMBERWELL Park Golf Club will have two of its professionals playing in the opening event of the 2016 European Tour season later this week after Steve Surry equalled his best finish on southern Africa's Sunshine Tour today.

Trowbridge player Surry, based out of the Bradford on Avon club, finished tied second at the Lion Of Africa Cape Town Open to book a berth at the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Malelane, beginning on Thursday.

With Rory McIlroy winning the European Tour's Race to Dubai after victory at the 20-15 season-ending DP World Tour Championship in the Middle East, the new campaign starts immediately in South Africa later this week, with the lines of major champions Charl Schwarzel and Louis Oosthuizen also in the field in their homeland.

Surry's performance booked his ticket to the event, where he will join clubmate Laurie Canter, who secured a 2016 European Tour card after finishing inside the top 25 at the qualifying school finals in Spain last week and begins his campaign immediately.

Surry, 33, was lying at two under par after the opening two rounds in Cape Town, but delivered a magnificent weekend performance to storm up the leaderboard.

After improving his standing with a four under par 68 on Saturday, the Trowbridge man went a shot better today, carding six birdies and just a single dropped shot to move up into a share of runners up spot with home player Ockie Strydom, five shots behind clear winner Brandon Stone, also of South Africa.

It equalled his best performance on the Sunshine Tour after his finish at the Nedbank Affinity Cup two years ago and was comfortably his best result of the season off the back of missed cuts in his last two events.

MORE FROM SURRY AND LAURIE CANTER IN NEXT WEEK'S WILTSHIRE TIMES