JAMIE Donaldson gave it every effort to become the first home winner of the ISPS Handa Wales Open but fell just short as Joost Luiten won out in the last European Tour event scheduled to be staged the Celtic Manor.

After 15 years as a fixture on the circuit the host resort of the 2010 Ryder Cup is set for a hiatus from the European Tour schedule.

Tour chiefs are understood to be pondering awarding the Celtic Manor a larger event in the future as the Wales Open becomes a tournament on hiatus, but it is highly unlikely top tier golf will be staged in Wales in 2015.

Wales has never had a home winner of its home Open even though Ian Woosnam, Phil Price, Rhys Davies, Bradley Dredge and now Donaldson have all gone close since 2000, Donaldson emulating Dredge and Davies in finishing within a whisker of the eventual winner, tied in third spot.

“This was great preparation for the Ryder Cup,” Donaldson commented after his final round of 67.

“I’ve done as well as I could to get to 12 under but it just wasn’t quite enough.”

Donaldson had a real go on Sunday, recovering from a bogey on the second to birdie three, four, six and 11 before a bogey on 13 halted his momentum.

But he battled back to birdie 15 and 18 which might have been enough for a play-off on a day the leaderboard kept fluctuating as wildly as the Usk Valley weather.

Donaldson set the clubhouse target at -12 along with 2012 Ryder Cup star Nicolas Colsaerts and Eddie Pepperell and Marc Warren but that was ultimately one behind Tommy Fleetwood who finished like a steam train to end Donaldson’s victory hopes, responding to a double bogey 13 by finishing birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, birdie; six under for his final five holes, a run that was worth a share of the £200,000 runner-up prize with Shane Lowry who birdied 18 to join Fleetwood.

That left leader Luiten, a three-time tour winner, protecting a narrow advantage over the closing holes.

He bogeyed 14 and then birdied 15 to remain on -14 and held his nerve through 16 and 17 with pars before a disaster drive on 18 put him in nervous territory, figuratively and literally, but a superb two-putt from 60 feet saw him home with one to spare.

“It has been a good championship, I have played this tournament three times and the course is always in great condition and they are great people here as well so I am very happy to win,” Luiten commented.

“This is a tournament we like to play and hopefully we can keep it going because the players like coming here to the Celtic Manor.”

Newport’s Phillip Price is hopeful the ISPS Handa Wales Open has given him the perfect fillip for another crack at Q School.

The popular putter from Newport; who is a member at the Celtic Manor, delighted the home crowds on Friday with a dazzling round of 66 and he steadied the ship over the weekend, ending up on five under par and shooting 71 in Sunday’s final round.

It means Price finished just outside the top 30 and bagged his biggest cheque of a frustrating year when he’s only featured infrequently on the European Tour after losing his card in 2013.

“It’s probably the best I’ve played in 18 months... have a look at some of my scores from that time,” he quipped to the Argus.

“This gives me a glimmer of hope about my form that I can hopefully take into the next couple of months and Q School.”

Price is now waiting to find out if his good week has done enough to earn him a sponsors’ invite for the upcoming European Tour events.

Blackwood’s Bradley Dredge, who lifted the lid on his health issues in Argus Sport on Saturday, finished with a flourish, hitting birdies of 15, 17 and 18 to end the tournament three under par.

It was a poor day for Donaldson’s Ryder Cup teammates Thomas Bjorn and Lee Westwood, however.

Bjorn shot a 74 to finish one over par and Westwood struggled to a 76 despite two birdies in the last three holes.