No, it wasn't a Tibetan protestor or a publicity seeking crank, but Hartlepool golfer Graeme Storm.

In a glittering tournament where most of the attention was focussed on whether Tiger Woods could clinch an eighth consecutive victory, Storm quietly and methodically put together a genuine challenge for this illustrious title while bigger names from this side of the Atlantic were falling by the wayside.

When weather delays forced a postponement to a fifth day, Storm was still in with a genuine chance, and while he only stuttered slightly, dropping a single shot, was desperately unlucky when a couple of late putts lipped the hole, he eventually finished four shots behind Aussie Geoff Ogilvy and two shots behind Woods as Tiger's winning streak ground to a halt.

But it was still a noble effort by the Englishman, who I understand competed against the Halifax and Huddersfield Union for his native Teesside Union as a youngster.

And maybe it is a sign of a late flowering of a career which had been low key since Storm was part of a victorious Walker Cup team in 1999 which also included the likes of Paul Casey and Luke Donald.

Until last year, he had only a couple of Challenge Tour victories to celebrate, but a win in the Open de France at last boosted his profile and a string of impressive showings pushed him up to a top 20 spot in the European Order of Merit by the end of the season.

Yet this week was probably his most impressive showing yet, and while Tiger trudged sullenly around the course and lashed out at a photographer who snapped a picture while he was on his back swing, Storm strolled round and kept his head throughout.

I noticed that while we're used to seeing a golden sun beat down on tour events such as this, and I was certainly expecting that as the event was taking place in Florida, much of the action unfolded before leaden skies and threatening clouds.

Those conditions are more Castle Eden than California, so perhaps Storm felt a bit more at home.

He certainly played like it.

And well done too to Geoff Ogilvy.

He's from Adelaide but has an English born father and claims bizarrely to be a descendant of Robert the Bruce, but it would be pushing it to claim a British success.