WHEN Swindon golfer David Howell won the BMW Championship at the weekend it took his career earnings close to the £10m mark and made him one of the town's wealthiest residents.

At the age of 30 he is at his peak and the chances are he will double that amount in the next five years.

Add to that his many sponsorship deals will have to be renegotiated in his favour which means an even fatter bank balance.

Not bad for someone who used to knock around the Broome Manor municipal course as a nipper and is one of the most charming sportsmen you could meet.

But his dedication and that of his fellow professionals is legendary.

You don't get to the top without hitting hundreds of balls every day and after a competitive round most of the pros go onto the practice ground to tinker with their swings or whatever.

But back to that money.

This year alone he has won the equivalent of £1.2m in prize money on the Europe track and about £260,000 in America.

Topping the list with $3,250,000 in the USA is Phil Mickelsen (heading for the £2m mark.) Despite his great wealth Howell, who is now in the world's top ten players, continues to keep his main home in Swindon and shows no sign of moving.

No doubt he has as many financial advisers as putters and even though he picked up a cheque for nearly £500,000 at the weekend the advice from the bank is a cautionary one.

"It was a fantastic victory," said Samantha McGrath, the senior manager at the Lloyds Business Centre in Old Town.

"If I was advising David I would say spend some to celebrate your success; get the best advice and make the best of tax breaks open to you."