MOSCOW, 18 August 2003 — Australian Marcus Fraser won a sudden death playoff with Austria’s Martin Wiegele yesterday for the Russian Open title and claimed his third victory in nine weeks.
Both players finished three strokes ahead of the field on 19-under-par with closing rounds of four-under-par 68.
They both birdied the first extra hole with short putts but then struggled when they played the 18th at Moscow Country Club for the third time in the day.
After first needing to chip out of trees, Fraser then hit to 12 feet and holed the putt for his par, but Wiegele was unable to drop his slightly shorter putt after missing the green with his approach.
For 25-year-old Fraser it was the continuation of a rich vein of form that had earned him Danish Open and Finnish Challenge titles in the last two months on the Challenge Tour. His third success, worth $70,000, had the bonus of a one-year exemption to the main tour in the event co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Challenge Tour.
Sweden’s Peter Hanson took third place on 272. Andrew Coltart, the highest ranked player from the European money-list in Russia, bogeyed the last to deny himself fourth spot on his own. He shared it on 274 with fellow Britons Graeme Storm, whose 65 equaled the course record, and Tim Milford and Spain’s Jose Manuel Carriles.
Major Poised for Unpredictable Finish
In Rochester, the US PGA Championship final round got under way in the coolest temperatures of the week yesterday with the last of the year’s four majors poised for an unpredictable finish.
Co-leaders at four-under 206 with a three-shot cushion were Americans Shaun Micheel and Chad Campbell, but neither has yet won a title on the PGA Tour. Seventeen players were grouped within seven of the lead going into the last day at Oak Hill Country Club’s East Course, where trouble lurks on virtually every hole.
Micheel held his nerve for most of Saturday before bogeying his last three holes for a one-under-par 69 and the richly talented Campbell holed a 35-foot birdie putt at the last for a best-of-the-week 65.
However both will be fully aware that former major winners Mike Weir, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh are all within striking distance. US Masters champion Weir, bidding to match Jack Nicklaus (in 1975) by winning the first and last majors of the season, is three off the lead at one under, Els is a further two back and 1998 winner Singh was tied for ninth at two over par. All three players carded third-round 70s.
For world No. 1 Tiger Woods, however, the week has been one of extreme frustration. Chasing his ninth career major and first since last year’s US Open, he has struggled with control off the tee and suffered more than his fair share of unfortunate breaks over the first three rounds.
Opening scores of 74, 72 and 73 dashed his hopes of clinching at least one major for the fifth consecutive year, but the twice winner will be determined to end the tournament on a positive note.
Of the early starters on a day of intermittent sunshine and cloud cover, European Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer made an early impact with birdies at the second and fourth holes. That left the 45-year-old German at 10 over with 14 holes to play.
Pak Fires Eight Birdies at Suspended LPGA Event
In Sylvania, Ohio, South Korean Se Ri Pak was hotter than the weather. Pak drained eight birdies over the first 12 holes before lightning amid hot, sticky conditions suspended Saturday’s third round of the LPGA Jamie Farr Kroger Classic.
Weather permitting, those players will complete their rounds Sunday morning, with the final round beginning two hours later. One of those players is Pak, the Korean star whose phenomenal partial round moved her to 14-under-par for the tournament, two shots better than second-round leader Laura Diaz. Both players have completed 13 holes.
With five holes remaining, Pak has a legitimate chance at the magical 59 shot by tour superstar Annika Sorenstam in 2001. “Annika shot 59? Why not 58?” Pak said. “That’s my number.”
