PETER WHITEFORD PIPPED IN THREE-WAY PLAY-OFF F0R BALLANTINE'S CHAMPIONSHIP

Fifer Peter Whiteford was pipped in a three-way play-off for the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea today after tieing with two Australians, Brett Rumford and Marcus Fraser on 11 under par at the end of the regulation 72 holes.

A miraculous approach by Brett Rumford on the first play-off hole saw him claim a title which had appeared in danger of slipping from his grasp. 

Rumford overcame a late wobble in regulation play to win his fourth European Tour title after a play-off with compatriot Marcus Fraser and Peter Whiteford.

After all three men had finished level on 11 under par, Rumford hit a stupendous five-iron to four feet on the first extra hole to set up an eagle which ensured his first victory on the Tour for six years.

Rumford raced to the turn in just 30 shots on a tense final day, and had led by two strokes with two holes to play before running up a double-bogey six on the 17th hole, following a wayward tee shot which resulted in a penalty drop.

Another miscued drive on the 18th hole meant the 35 year old had to hole out from eight feet just to save par, and when Fraser also parred the last, Whiteford knew that ‘only’ a birdie four separated him for his debut European Tour title.

The 32 year old chipped to five feet having failed to find the green with his approach, but narrowly missed the subsequent putt to finish tied with Rumford and Fraser.
The trio returned to the 18th tee and, after a phone call to his coach Pete Cowen, Rumford struck a perfect drive down the middle of the fairway. Having subsequently seen both his opponents fail to locate the green with their second shots, the Perth native struck a stunning approach to seal victory.

“A lot of thanks goes to Pete [Cowen],” said Rumford, who climbed from 138th to 18th place in The Race to Dubai after collecting the winner’s cheque for €367,500.
“I battled with my driver constantly, and I guess that’s what keeps me out of most golf tournaments.
“I left a few drives right – it wasn’t just the last two drives, it was the whole back nine I was feeling stuck and a little bit trapped. So I had a quick word with Pete, hit five or six balls off the first tee [before the play-off] and it obviously did the trick.
“It was an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions out there this afternoon. I’m a bit lost for words at the moment, but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it later because it’s such a great event to win.”
Frenchman Romain Wattel finished in fourth place on nine under par, with World Number Seven Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa a shot further back in fifth. Overnight leader Alex Noren was penalised a shot at the second hole when his ball moved a fraction as he addressed his putt, the Swede eventually posting a round of 74 to finish in a tie for sixth place.

FINAL TOTALS
par 288 (4x72)

277 B Rumford (Aus) 73 67 69 68, P Whiteford (Sco) 70 69 69 69, M Fraser (Aus) 70 70 69 68 (Rumford won play=off at first hole).

279 R Wattel  (Fra) 70 69 71 69,

280 L Oosthuizen  (RSA) 69 71 71 69,

281 P Larrazábal (Esp) 70 70 68 73, K Hyung-Sung (Kor) 71 69 74 67, A Noren  (Swe) 71 67 69 74, S Gallacher (Sco) 70 68 75 68, T Jaidee (Tha) 71 72 73 65,

282 K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 71 66 75 70, J Lara (Esp) 71 67 72 72, K Gi-Whan (Kor) 67 72 75 68, K K.t. (Kor) 74 68 71 69, S Chowrasia (Ind) 71 70 73 68, H Soon-Sang (Kor) 71 71 73 67,

283 K Pratt (Aus) 67 77 69 70, J Randhawa (Ind) 72 69 72 70, P Sang-Hyun (Kor) 74 69 69 71, W Ormsby (Aus) 70 67 74 72, J Knutzon (USA) 72 70 73 68, J Heung-Chol (Kor) 70 70 74 69,

284 H Jung-Gon (Kor) 70 74 71 69, G Havret  (Fra) 71 70 72 71, W Ashun (Chn) 75 65 73 71,

285 M Siddikur  (Ban) 74 69 71 71, B Henson (USA) 70 70 77 68, R Karlberg  (Swe) 69 73 74 69, J Edfors (Swe) 67 75 74 69, A Vongvanij (Tha) 68 69 76 72,

286 S Hend (Aus) 76 66 72 72, T Fleetwood  (Eng) 68 71 73 74, P McGinley (Irl) 73 70 75 68, S Kapur (Ind) 71 71 74 70, M Carlsson  (Swe) 71 69 73 73, P Lawrie (Irl) 68 73 74 71, B Wiesberger  (Aut) 71 69 74 72, J Sjöholm (Swe) 73 71 70 72, D Howell (Eng) 69 73 76 68,

287 J Kruger (RSA) 71 67 79 70, M Warren (Sco) 70 73 71 73, M Delpodio  (Ita) 71 69 76 71, J Morrison  (Eng) 72 66 75 74, L Slattery (Eng) 70 71 75 71, D McGrane (Irl) 71 72 70 74, F Aguilar (Chi) 74 70 74 69, H Mu (Chn) 72 69 74 72, S Dyson  (Eng) 71 72 69 75,

288 A Da Silva (Bra) 71 72 75 70, R Ramsay  (Sco) 71 70 76 71, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 72 70 73 73, P Lawrie (Sco) 75 67 73 73, R Gonzalez (Arg) 69 73 75 71, Y Y. E. (Kor) 70 72 79 67,

289 J Gonnet  (Fra) 67 76 75 71, L Wen-Chong (Chn) 76 68 73 72, K Kyung-Nam (Kor) 72 68 75 74,

290 K Seng-Yong (Kor) 74 70 76 70, R Hyun-Woo (Kor) 69 73 73 75, M Baldwin (Eng) 67 73 76 74, E Pepperell (Eng) 72 69 71 78,

291 D Beck (Aus) 74 70 76 71, H Min-Kyu (Kor) 71 69 75 76, A Cañizares  (Esp) 69 75 75 72,

292 L Sang-Hee (Kor) 73 71 76 72, P Uihlein  (USA) 75 68 78 71, S Yong-Jin (Kor) 71 71 74 76,

293 F Zanotti (Par) 69 73 78 73, C Ho-Sung (Kor) 73 70 75 75,

294 M Dong-Seop (Kor) 74 69 78 73, J Colomo  (Esp) 69 75 74 76,

297 P Hyun-Bin (Kor) 73 70 74 80,

 ** T Wiratchant (Tha) 74 70 77 WD

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