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| October 15, 2001 | Monday | Rajab 27, 1422 |
Woosnam rolls back years
WENTWORTH (England), Oct 14: Ian Woosnam rolled back the years to capture his third World Match Play Championship on Sunday at the age of 43.
This time there was no errant caddie to ruin his chances of glory as the Welshman beat Padraig Harrington two and one in a thrilling, see-saw final at Wentworth.
Woosnam is returning to the kind of form that earned him the 1991 U.S. Masters title and Match Play crowns in 1987 and 1990. If his caddie had not failed to count his clubs correctly in the last round of the British Open, he might have ended his four-year trophy drought three months ago.
Victory at Wentworth will be some consolation for Woosnam, who was only added to the field a fortnight before the event after several top Americans decided against flying to Europe following last month’s attacks on the U.S.
Even if Tiger Woods had been in the field, Woosnam would have taken some stopping.
He clinched victory on the 35th hole - the long 17th - when he coaxed in a 10-foot birdie putt after battling back from three down at the 24th.
“I’ve been working hard for two and a half years on my swing with my coach Pete Cowen to keep the trajectory low and it paid off when the pressure was on today,” said Woosnam, who also beat U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen and last year’s Match Play finalists Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie on his way to the title.
“There have been times in the last four years when I’ve thought of cutting right down on my golf because when you’re chopping and hacking around, it’s not fun,” Woosnam added.
Woosnam, who became the oldest winner in the tournament’s 37-year history, said he had not given much thought to the future.
For Harrington, it was another disappointing finish to a tournament as he finished runner-up for the seventh time this season.
Woosnam had fired an event-best 28 for the first nine, including seven birdies in a row, to take a three-hole lead.
But Harrington hit back with seven birdies on the inward half to card a championship record-equalling 11-under-par round of 61. Woosnam shot a 64.
That left Harrington, hoping to become the event’s first Irish winner, two ahead at the halfway stage, and he extended his lead with a birdie at the 21st hole.
His unerring accuracy then dramatically deserted him at the par-four, 450-yard ninth - the 27th hole of the final - where he veered twice into trees before conceding when faced with a 20-foot putt to make seven.
Suddenly, Woosnam seemed to sense a fresh chance against an opponent showing the first sign of weakness.
He birdied the 29th, 30th and 31st holes while Harrington could only negotiate them in one-over-par, and suddenly Woosnam was in the driving seat again at two-up.
The pair parred the next three before matching birdies at the long 17th gave Woosnam the title.
Final result:
Ian Woosnam (Wales) beat Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 2 and 1—Reuters
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