Appleby reeled in faltering overnight leader Adam Bland with a six-under 65 to finish 10-under 274, while Tiger Woods produced his best golf to storm home for fourth, three shots away.

It was Appleby’s first victory in the Australian Masters after winning the 2001 Australian Open and he joins six-time champion Greg Norman, Woods, Mark O’Meara and Bernhard Langer as winners of the Masters’ gold jacket.

It was Appleby’s second storming finish this year after he carded a closing 11-under 59 to claim the Greenbrier Classic on the US PGA Tour in West Virginia in August.

“I went into today with the feeling that I had to try and somehow find a way to get close enough to the leaders where it might make them change the way they were playing,” Appleby said.

“I did use that experience of shooting 59 to try and put myself in that mood of trying to apply some pressure and to see what happens.

“I was thinking eagle-eagle over the last holes to give myself a chance.

“To have a win in August and now this one really wraps this year up in a nice bow for me.”

Appleby, who began the day trailing leader Bland by seven strokes, only hit the front with his birdie at the 17th and sealed the deal with his birdie at the last.

Appleby had an unblemished round of six birdies and made only 27 putts to charge past the unheralded Bland, who was listed at 150-1 to win with bookmakers before the tournament.

Bland, who had led from the opening round, could not handle the pressure in the closing 18 holes and his three-stroke buffer melted away in a flurry of five bogeys in his two-over 73 to finish at nine-under 275.

Australian Daniel Gaunt was third at eight-under 276.

Appleby’s 12th official tour victory was worth 270,000 dollars, but it was a special win for the home-town professional.

“It’s very important for me. We play around the world for big money and big tournaments, but you come home to Australia and it’s for real, it’s not just 72 holes of golf,” he said.

“That’s probably hurt me too many times in the past and it’s really helped me wanting to win this one.”

Appleby’s finish was matched in excitement by Woods’s sensational six-under 65 to capture fourth place.

Woods strode from the final green with cheers ringing in his ears as he peeled off two eagles and two birdies in his closing six holes to finish with rounds of 69-72-71-65 for seven-under 277.

The rousing finish lifted Woods’s spirits after a frustrating week and gave him renewed confidence in his attempt to break his tournament drought this year at next month’s final Chevron World Challenge tournament in California.

“I have two weeks off and then play the Chevron so I am pretty excited about it,” Woods said.

“Some of the things I am working on are starting to gel but unfortunately not for the entire round, they are sporadic.

“So I’ll do some more work when I get back home.”
 
Scott leads suspended Singapore Open

In Singapore, Adam Scott has a three-stroke lead after eight holes of the suspended final round of the Singapore Open that will now be completed Monday after a 5 1/2-hour thunderstorm delay Sunday.

Scott, a two-time champion at Sentosa Golf Club, was 3-under in his final round and 17-under on the tournament after leading by one stroke after Saturday’s third round.

Defending champion Ian Poulter of England was in second place, also after eight holes, with South Korea Kang Kyung-nam a further stroke back after eight.

US Masters champion Phil Mickelsen had completed 13 holes and was 4-under on the tournament and 2-under in his final round.

Thunderstorms also delayed play for four hours during Thursday’s first round.

After Sunday’s delay, Scott returned to birdie the fourth hole before adding two more birdies on the sixth and eighth holes.
 
Thatcher stays four clear at Disney

In Miami, American Roland Thatcher survived a sloppy finish to preserve a four-shot lead after the third round of the Disney Classic at Lake Buena Vista on Saturday.

Four ahead overnight in pursuit of his maiden PGA Tour title, Thatcher stretched his advantage to six with two holes to play before double-bogeying 17 and bogeying the last.

The 33-year-old carded a two-under-par 70 on the Magnolia Course for an 18-under total of 198 to keep alive his hopes of securing a tour card for next year.

“After standing on the 17th tee at 21 under, I’m pretty disappointed to end up at 18 (under),” Thatcher told reporters. “It was a pretty brutal finish.

“But I still got a good chance tomorrow to go out and post a sub-70 round. Then I should have a good chance to win the golf tournament.”

Thatcher’s playing partners also bogeyed the 18th, Chris Stroud completing a 70 to lie alone in second and Brian Gay a 71 for a four-way tie for third place.

Level with Gay at 13 under in the final PGA Tour event of the season were fellow Americans Robert Garrigus (70), Spencer Levin (67) and Brett Wetterich (68).

Thatcher, who lies 179th in the money list and needs to climb into the top 125 to secure full playing privileges for next year, appeared to be in cruise control on the back nine.

He birdied the 10th, 12th and 14th to get to 21 under overall with a commanding six-stroke cushion before losing his way over the closing stretch.

His approach on 17 ended up in mud on the edge of a water hazard from where he had to remove his right golf shoe and sock to take up an awkward stance before overflying the green with his third.