Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn birdied the first extra playoff hole to capture his second European Masters title in three years on Sunday after coming back from two shots down in the final round. At the weather-hit mountain course at Crans Montana, Bjorn holed a 12 foot putt to defeat Scotland’s Craig Lee in mist and steady rain after both players ended regulation play tied at 20-under par.
It is the two-time Ryder Cup winner’s 14th career victory, but first in two years while Lee was looking to capture a maiden Tour title.
Frenchman Victor Dubuisson shot a final-round 66 to finish alone in third on 19-under, while Spaniard Alejandro Canizares was a further shot back in fourth.
“It was nice,” the relieved Dane said after closing out victory on the first playoff after Lee found the bunker with his tee shot on the 18th, which gave him a tough approach to the par-four green. “When I get into situations like today [Sunday], I really know to grind it out and I have to say I’ve been pretty good at closing out tournaments in my career,” he said. “I give everything in those situations and I just grind, and grind and grind even knowing that I don’t need to play great. That’s what it’s about late on Sunday afternoons and I’ve just got that in me.”
Victory earned Bjorn a first-prize check of 366,660 euros (US$483,185) and will lift him from 66th to 45th in the world rankings.
“This year, I have come up short a few times, including the hurt in Munich, but I came here really desperate to win this golf tournament, so this one is very sweet for me, given I am 42 years of age,” Bjorn said. “I had two bogeys in 72 holes, which is good going around here. I felt good and I got over the line. It was nice to do that in a playoff. I’ve had a hard time dealing with pressure situations and there is no more pressure than that.”
It was harsh on Lee, who equaled the course record on Saturday with a sensational 10-under-par 61 that sent him into the final day with a two-shot lead. Bjorn needed just nine putts over the front nine to take the clubhouse lead, but Lee hit back with three birdies down the stretch and agonizingly saw his birdie stroke for victory lip out at the final hole which sent the pair to a playoff.
Jimenez finished tied for fifth, with Englishman Ross Fisher five shots back.
The victory puts Bjorn top of the Ryder Cup qualifying points table after two weeks of qualifying.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but