NEWPORT, Wales, 7 June 2004 — Britain’s Simon Khan became the second surprise winner on the European Tour in a week when he beat compatriot Paul Casey in a sudden-death playoff for the Wales Open title yesterday. It was Khan’s maiden Tour success.
Casey, three shots ahead overnight, led Khan by four strokes with seven holes to go but threw away his big advantage before managing to birdie the last to survive to a playoff.
Both men were on 21-under-par 267, four shots clear of the field, after Khan closed with a five-under-par 67 to Casey’s 70.
The duo scrambled par at the first extra hole but then Khan claimed the $450,000 first prize with a birdie at the second. The victory by Khan, world-ranked 255, was not as big a surprise as that of rookie Scott Drummond’s Volvo PGA win the week before.
But Casey, 30th in the world rankings, had been a warm favorite to take his fourth title and virtually secure his Ryder Cup place.
Khan, his playing-partner for the weekend, had other ideas and the man who broke the course record by two strokes with a 61 in the second round continued to plug away, even when Casey pulled four shots ahead by the 11th. But when Casey double-bogeyed the 15th after hitting into heavy rough and Khan found his sixth birdie at the next hole, the tables were turned.
Els Grabs PGA Lead but Woods, Rose and Choi Lurk
In Dublin, Ohio, South Africa’s Ernie Els fired a bogey-free six-under par 66 Saturday to seize a two-stroke lead at the PGA Memorial, but Tiger Woods and England’s Justin Rose were in position for a last-day run.
Els sank six birdies to stand on 12-under par 204 after 54 holes at the $5.25 million event, two ahead of Rose, American veteran Fred Couples and South Korean K.J. Choi with Woods and Canada’s Stephen Ames on 207.
Woods has denied Els several times, but this time, the laid-back African star nicknamed “Big Easy” has more than Woods to worry about. Two-time US Open champion Els has never won the Memorial, the US Open’s main tune-up event. But he has seven top-15 showings in 10 starts here.
Els birdied the second hole on the front and back nines and had back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth and the 15th and 16th holes. After a short birdie putt at 15, Els dropped a 7-iron shot from 200 yards just five feet shy of the cup, then sank the putt to seize control, looking as calm as he has all season. Els sent his drive way left on the 11th hole, his ball barely missing a creek that runs long the fairway. Woods had struggled to find the fairway in recent events but fired a 67 and said his improved accuracy showed that his swing work had paid off.
Rose sank an eight-foot birdie at the 17th to grab a share of second. Rose had two birdies and a double bogey on the front nine but bounced back with birdies at 10, 14 and 17 to stay within reach of Els.
Webb Atop Leaderboard at Kellogg-Keebler Classic
In Aurora, Illinois, Karrie Webb, the former world No. 1 who is seeking her first victory in nine months, vaulted to the top of the leaderboard of the Kellogg-Keebler Classic Saturday with an eight-under-par 64.
Webb’s 11-under 133 is two shots better than American Jill McGill and Seol-an Jeon of Korea.
After an opening round 69, Australia’s Webb had the best round of the day, riding her putter to one of her best rounds of the year.
McGill carded a 67 Saturday. The round was highlighted by two eagles and McGill is in contention for her first LPGA title.
Jeon also shot a 67 and called her round, “a little shaky with my driver, but still my irons were good. I missed a lot of putts, but I still got 67. So I feel comfortable with the course and its condition.”
Two-time defending champion Annika Sorenstam of Sweden started the round in a place she was not familiar with — the back in the pack. But Sorenstam shot a 66 and pulled into a two-way tie for fifth.
