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| November 11, 2002 | Monday | Ramazan 5, 1423 |
Montgomerie, Langer opted to share season-ending title
SOTOGRANDE (Spain), Nov 10: Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer opted to share the season-ending Volvo Masters title Sunday after the two players had squared the first two extras holes in gathering gloom at Valderrama.
Montgomerie, winner in 1993, and Langer, champion in 1994, had both finished at three-under-par 281 in regulation play.
It was only the second time a European Tour event had been tied and the other occasion also involved Langer.
The 1986 Lancome Trophy was tied by the German and Seve Ballesteros at Saint Nom-la-Breteche, when the players could not be separated after six extra holes.
On Sunday, Montgomerie missed an eight-foot putt for par at the last to secure outright victory as he closed with a one-under-par 70.
Langer, who began the last day four shots off the lead, collected two birdies and an eagle-three in the last eight holes for a final-round 67.
The two playoff holes were briefly delayed, though, when John Paramor, the European Tour’s chief referee, conferred with 1993 winner Montgomerie over a possible infringement by the Scot at the 10th green.
Paramor had been alerted, via television, to the chance that Montgomerie’s putter head had accidentally touched the rolling ball soon after the player had missed a par-putt from five feet.
But Paramor’s final ruling was that no infringement had occurred and Montgomerie escaped a possible two-shot penalty.
Final round scores
281 Bernhard Langer (Germany) 71 71 72 67, Colin Montgomerie 70 69 72 70
283 Bradley Dredge 68 71 71 73
285 Peter O’Malley (Australia) 72 69 75 69, Angel Cabrera (Argentina) 63 72 76 74
286 Jarmo Sandelin (Sweden) 69 74 77 66
287 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 69 70 75 73, Adam Scott (Australia) 72 73 70 72
288 Darren Clarke 73 69 75 71, Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 72 67 77 72 289 Alex Cejka (Germany) 69 75 71 74
290 Anders Hansen (Denmark) 76 70 73 71
291 Richard Green (Australia) 70 74 78 69, Thomas Levet (France) 70 75 75 71, Ian Woosnam 73 72 73 73, Niclas Fasth (Sweden) 71 77 69 74, Maarten Lafeber (Netherlands) 69 72 75 75
292 Ian Poulter 73 75 73 71, Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain) 73 69 76 74, Justin Rose 71 69 73 79
Earlier, Retief Goosen became only the seventh player to retain the European order of merit title Sunday, firing a closing 71 to finish at 12-over-par 296.
South African Goosen bounced back from a double-bogey five at the 187-yard third with two birdies in the last eight holes to give second-placed Padraig Harrington no chance of overhauling him in the standings.
Goosen had led Harrington by 23,119 euros ($23,450) at the start of the week and the Irishman needed to finish no worse than 27th at Valderrama on Sunday — and well clear of the South African — to attempt to leapfrog the title-holder.
But Harrington, one shot clear of Goosen overnight, bogeyed the last two holes on his way to a two-over-par 73 to close at 13-over 297.
“It’s been pretty disappointing for the two of us the way we’ve been playing the last couple of weeks,” said Goosen, who became the first player since Sandy Lyle in 1980 to clinch the order of merit crown with just one victory during the season.
The 33-year-old South African triumphed at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia in January.
“In fact, I’ve not been playing that well for the past six months, except for the American Express Championship (at Mount Juliet in Ireland in September) where I finished second,” he added.
“But you’ve got to play pretty well for a year or so to defend this title so it’s great to come through and pull it off.”
Goosen follows in the footsteps of Englishmen Charlie Ward (1949) and Peter Oosterhuis (1972, 1973 and 1974), Ireland’s Christy O’Connor (1962), Spaniard Seve Ballesteros (1977, 1987) and Scotsmen Sandy Lyle (1980) and Colin Montgomerie (from 1994 to 1999) in defending the European Tour’s order of merit crown.
Goosen said he planned to trim his playing schedule for next year after feeling fatigued playing in “close to 33 or 34 tournaments worldwide” this season.
“I’d probably cut back about four or five events on the European Tour and probably try and do pretty much the same on the U.S. Tour.
“I’ve played pretty hard now — and a lot of golf - the last four years.”
Defending Volvo Masters champion Harrington paid tribute to Goosen for his achievement, while adding that he had made the mistake of focusing on the order of merit race this week and not on the tournament.—Reuters
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