Spain’s Sergio Garcia has captured a second victory in three events after a three hole play-off success in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in Doha.
Garcia first overcame a three-stroke deficit heading into the round and then birdied six of his closing 12 holes in shooting a 65 before Finland’s Mikko Ilonen holed an 18-foot birdie putt at the last in a score of 66 to tie the Spaniard on 16-under par.
Sergio Garcia wins his second event in three starts with his play-off success in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
Garcia had to wait nearly an hour before all players completed their round and with he and Ilonen then birding both the first and second extra holes before Garcia sealed victory with a tap-in birdie at the third extra hole to Ilonen’s par.
“It feels good to win but it’s also funny because I started the day thinking that if I could six or seven under I can have a chance,” said Garcia.
“But as it turned out I had a very similar putt last year and while I thought I hit a good putt unfortunately it didn’t drop.
“I then played a great bunker shot at the second extra hole for birdie to keep myself in the play off and then to birdie the hole again makes me feel very happy.”
Among those first to congratulate Garcia was Manchester United and England football star, Dwight Yorke and Garcia’s German girlfriend, Katharina Boehm who had caddied for him in winning in Thailand.
“When things off the golf course are on good terms it is a little easier to concentrate when you don’t have too many things in your head,” he said.
“I am very fortunate with Kathy and with my family and all those around me, so it’s great to be playing well and to be in this winning situation with the goal now to keep improving.
“I still feel like I can do better and that is the goal.”
Garcia’s win in the Qatar capital also make amends as he finished runner-up a year ago when England’s Chris Wood eagled the last to claim a maiden Tour win.
The Spaniard collected a first prize cheque of Euro 305,232 ($US 416,600) and will move from his current World No. 11 ranking and back inside the top-10 once the Rankings are adjusted following the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open.
The win is 34-year old Garcia’s 11th European Tour success and a 25th worldwide, and also comes after winning his final event of 2013, the Asian Tour’s Thailand Golf Championship.
Garcia also is the third Spanish-born winner in eight Tour events of the 2013/14 wraparound schedule and the second in succession after Pablo Larrazabal won last week in Abu Dhabi.
Ilonen was seeking just his third Tour success after ending a six-year winless drought last June in capturing the Nordea Masters.
“I came up two shots short of my target in regulation thinking a 64 would win outright, but a 66 was good enough for the play-off, but Sergio was a bit better than me,” said Ilonen.
Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen had the chance to join the play-off but missed his eight-foot eagle putt on 18 to shoot a 68 and end tied third with Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello (69) on a 15-under par total.
European Number One Henrik Stenson heads to next week’s 25tH anniversary Dubai Desert Classic buoyed after birdieing his closing four holes in a score of 67 to share 28thplace at nine under par.
Joining the Swede in Dubai is five-time Major winning Ernie Els who shot a 68 and a six under par along with fellow Major winners John Daly (73) on two under par and reigning PGA champion Jason Dufner (71) who slumped to near last place at two over par.
