CHORLEY golfer Nick Dougherty had to settle for joint third at the HSBC Champions Tournament in Shanghai.

Dougherty, who was leading the tournament with Howell after round two, fell away and ended six behind the winner Howell and three behind Tiger Woods in second.

But Howell is hoping that beating the world's best player in the inaugural HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai is a launchpad to further success.

The 30-year-old Englishman kept Tiger Woods at arm's length throughout a relatively trouble-free final round to shoot a 68 and win by three shots on 20 under par.

It was his second tournament triumph of the year after scooping the BMW International in Munich three months ago, a win which ended a winless streak stretching back to 1999.

Now, with a second Ryder Cup cap looking a certainty next September and nearly £476,000 in the bank after his week's work in China, Howell is understandably upbeat.

He said: "Winning any tournament is fantastic, I came here looking for a good finish and end up with the leaders playing with the world's number one.

"It's going be a big day in your career and I'm quite pleased with the way I handled myself.

"Any time anyone plays against Tiger on the last day it's almost like the FA Cup final for the underdogs."