DROITWICH golfer John Bickerton has enjoyed another successful season on the European Tour and rounds it off next week with the £1,240,000 Volvo Masters in Spain.

This year Bickerton has earned more than £245,000 in prize money and is lying 47th in the order of merit -- three places ahead of Lee Westwood.

In the recent Madrid Open Bickerton finished tied 12th and he has had a consistent year, making a string of cuts.

"It has been a steady year and I've made a lot of cuts which is the most important thing," he said. "I had a second in the Madeira Open at the start of the year which was a good beginning.

"The highlight of the year was my third round at the English Open at Henley when I shot a 64 which was really important because I only just made the cut and I was attached to the club and wanted to make a reasonable finish."

After a long season which has seen Bickerton play in 29 tournaments, he is looking forward to a break with his family and recharging his batteries.

"At this time of year I'm looking forward to some time off because we've been away from home for 30 weeks and the travelling does take its toll," he said.

But Bickerton still relishes life on the tour and intends to continue as long as he keeps his card.

"At the moment I just want to improve every year. I was 60th last year and the year before that 20th."

As well as being one of England's finest golfers, Bickerton has another claim to fame after disproving the theory that lightning doesn't strike twice.

He was unfortunate to be hit twice by lightning strikes as an amateur -- at Malvern and Little Aston -- but escaped serious injury.

He joined the tour in 1993 and, despite having to make two trips to qualifying school, has been a regular ever since.

Bickerton enjoyed his best year in 1999 when he threatened to claim a Ryder Cup spot after finishing 20th on the Volvo Order of Merit with seven top 10 finishes and a play-off defeat in the Portuguese Algarve Open.