MIYAZAKI, Japan: Italy’s Edoardo Molinari defeated Robert Karlsson of Sweden on the second play-off hole to win the Dunlop Phoenix men’s golf tournament yesterday.
Molinari’s approach shot left him a one-metre birdie putt while Karlsson had four metres for a birdie on the hole.
Karlsson missed the shot and then Molinari duly sank it for the victory, which brought him the winner’s cheque of 40m yen ($444,000).
“I think I played very well today. Also congratulations for Robert, because he played some fantastic golf,” said Molinari, who is 18 and the top money earner on the European challenge tour this season.
“Today it was a hard round till the end and I was lucky to come out on top.”
Starting the day with a one-stroke lead over Karlsson, Molinari carded two birdies and Karlsson four birdies on the front nine.
Karlsson, who last season became the first Swede to be the top money earner on the European tour, added two more birdies on the back nine, but Molinari birdied the 11th, 13th and 15th holes to catch up with the Swede.
Both had a chance to finish off before the play-off, with Karlsson’s birdie putt stopping at the edge of the cup on the 17th hole and the two narrowly missing birdie putts on the 18th hole.
Molinari ended the round with five birdies for a 66 and Karlsson six birdies for a 65 for the four-round total of 13-under-par 271. Shane Lowry of Ireland, who won the Irish Open as an amateur in May, shared third place with Japan’s Hirofumi Miyase on 277, followed by Eddie Lee of New Zealand and Tadahiro Takayama on 278.
Three-time major winner Vijay Singh of Fiji hit a double bogey, three bogeys and two birdies for a 74 to share 31st place with seven other golfers on 286, including his compatriot Dinesh Chand.
Battling Both wins Cambodian Open
SIEM REAP, Cambodia: Australia’s Marcus Both ended a six-year title drought on the Asian Tour after securing a nail-biting one-stroke victory over Malaysia’s Shaaban Hussin at the Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open yesterday.
The Australian was six off the pace going into the final round but fired a closing five-under-par 67 to secure a winning total of nine-under-par 279 at the $300,000 Asian Tour event.
Shaaban needed a birdie on the 18th hole to force a play-off but could only make par as he signed for a 70 to finish a career-high second at the Phokeethra Country Club.
Singapore’s Mardan Mamat (67), Shiv Kapur of India (70) and rising Thai star Annop Tangkamolprasert (74) finished a further shot behind on 281.
Overnight leader Craig Smith of Wales failed to maintain his title charge and closed with a disappointing 76 for tied sixth place alongside Will Yanagisawa of the United States and Thailand’s Pariya Junhasavasdikul on 282.
Both was delighted to return to the winner’s rostrum.
“I was not thinking about winning and the only time I looked at the leaderboard was when I was walking up on the 16th hole. I thought I needed to shoot six-under to get close but I guess I’m just fortunate that everything fell my way,” said Both, who took home a cheque for $47,550.
The lanky Australian started his charge with birdies on the second, sixth and eight holes to make the turn in 33 and continued his hot streak with three consecutive birdies from the 11th hole. A dropped shot on the 14th ensured a nervous wait in the clubhouse for Both.
Shaaban came agonisingly close after challenging for the lead with four birdies en route to a 70 but at the end, he rued a double bogey on the ninth hole after finding water. He needed to birdie the last hole to force extra-time but could only make par after finding the fairway bunker.
