England's Justin Rose tasted
tournament victory for the first time in four years Sunday, holding
his nerve and his overnight margin to win the US$1.15 million
Australian Masters by two shots.
Rose survived a triple bogey at the par-five seventh to card a
final round 73, one over par, and to hold off the challenges of
Australians Richard Green and Greg Chalmers.
He shot 69, 66, 68, 73 for a four-round aggregate of 276, 12
under par, to claim the winner's gold jacket, a check for $207,000
and his first tournament win since the British Masters, one of his
four victories in 2002.
Green, the 2004 Australian Masters champion, and Chalmers
finished 10 under par on 278, one stroke ahead of tenacious amateur
Aaron Park who led the tournament through its first two rounds and
held on for fourth place.
Rose's winning bid almost came unstuck at the seventh hole Sunday
when he found a bunker from the tee, caught the lip when playing out
and ended with an unplayable lie in bush next to the fairway.
He chipped out, found the green but three putted for a triple
bogey eight which stripped away the three-stroke lead he had
established after six holes and left him tied at 11-under with the
charging Chalmers.
Chalmers had steadily worked his way into contention but his
challenge collapsed when he five-putted the ninth hole. He finished
with a 73, tied with Green who had played himself into contention
with a closing 69.
Pike played one of the shots of the day, holing a bunker shot at
14 to regain a share of the lead at 11 under par.
However, Rose's steady nerves over the last nine holes helped him
re-establish his lead while Pike had a three-putt bogey at 17 and a
further bogey on the last when his 50 foot putt missed the holed and
dribbled into a greenside bunker.
``I can't believe it's been four years,'' said Rose who won for
the third time on the European tour and became the first
non-Australian to win the Masters since Scotland's Colin Montgomerie
in 2001.
``It's been a big week confidence wise for me. I've had a few
close calls this season but to win a tournament like this is great
for my confidence.''
Australia's Aaron Baddeley finished in fifth place at eight under
par, while Kurt Barnes took sixth a shot further back.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
