MURRAY 2nd, WHITEFORD jt 3rd IN SOUTH AFRICAN DUNHILL

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Garth Mulroy was caught twice but fought back to win his first European Tour title on home soil at the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club, South Africa today.
Two strokes clear overnight, the 33-year-old bogeyed the second to allow Jbe Kruger to level, before the latter’s challenge was ended by a double bogey six at the ninth when he found water.Four birdies between the sixth and 13th looked to have sealed victory for Mulroy, but as he dropped a shot at the 14th Scotland’s George Murray (pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency) played a wonderful second shot at the long 15th to ten feet and eagled.
But while Murray parred his way in for a career-best European Tour finish of second, Mulroy birdied the 15th and 16th – the latter with a 60 foot downhill putt - which with two closing pars gave him a four under par 68 and 19 under total.
“I just tried to play smart golf and hit it in the right spots,” said Mulroy, who has twice won on the Sunshine Tour and now has a great chance to win their Order of Merit at the South African Open next week.
"I knew halfway down that slope it had a chance," he added, referring to his monster putt at the 16th.
The €158,500 first prize opens The European Tour door to him just a month after he earned a return to the US PGA Tour in the United States via the Nationwide Tour.
Murray, meanwhile, achieved his best-ever Tour finish seven weeks after he came third in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews, where he outscored World No 1 playing partner Luke Donald in the final round.
This time a five under par 67, one better than Mulroy, took him four clear of four players in third place - his compatriot Peter Whiteford, South Africans George Coetzee and Jaco van Zyl and also Chilean Felipe Aguilar.
Murray was down in 183rd spot on The Race to Dubai entering October and facing the danger of a sixth trip to the Qualifying School.
Now the 28 year old from Anstruther in Fife, Scottish amateur champion in 2004, is inside the top 80 with winnings of over €380,000 this season.
Mulroy’s was the 100th South African win in European Tour history and he admitted it presented him with some exciting opportunities.
“There are a lot of opportunities for me now. It’s nice to have these kind of options,” he said.
“I want to win the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit. I know I’m ahead now, but I’m not going to relax until next week’s over. I’ll putt it off the tee next week if I have to!”
There were two Scots in the three - Peter Whiteford finishing joint third on 275 with a final round of 71. He earned 48,750 Euros. Nice work!
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72) Prize money in Euros
269 Garth Mulroy (South Africa) 69 68 69 68 (158,500)
271 George Murray (Scotland) 66 6 69 67 (115,500)
275 Peter Whiteford (Scotland) 75 67 64 71, Felipe Aguilar (Chile) 71 64 68 72, George Coetzee (South Africa) 68 71 69 69, Jaco Van Zyl (South Africa) 68 68 72 67 (48,750 each).

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
285 Alan McLean 66 73 71 75 (37th) (7,300).
287 Lloyd Saltman 70 68 71 78 (T41) (6,300)
288 Alastair Forsyth 75 68 68 78 (T49) (4,400)).


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