MELBOURNE: Australian lefthander Nick Cullen shot a 3-under 69 Sunday to win the Australian Masters by one stroke over Adam Scott, ending Scott's attempt for a third consecutive victory in the tournament.

Cullen, who had a four-round total of 9-under 279, saved par on the 18th after hitting his bunker shot to a foot.

"It would have been nice to have a little buffer coming down here (the 18th), but a couple of three putts gave that away," Cullen said. "To get up and down like that and have a win it's an amazing feeling."

Scott, who trailed by four strokes after three rounds, shot 68 Sunday and finished tied for second with two other Australians.

Scott's 60-foot putt for birdie on the 18th hole curled out and he held the clubhouse lead for about an hour until Cullen finished his round at Metropolitan Golf Club.

"We had a great read on the final putt, and I couldn't believe it didn't go in," Scott said. "After all the putts that didn't drop this week, I really needed that one."

An eagle at the par-5 fourth and back-to-back birdies at 11 and 12 helped Cullen clinch the win.

James Nitties and Josh Younger were tied for second with Scott.

Ranked 539th, Cullen's previous biggest win was the 2012 Indonesian Open on the OneAsia tour, while he won the Queensland Open in 2013.

He led on the opening day of the Australian Masters last year, but finished fourth behind Scott at Royal Melbourne.

Second-ranked Scott now heads to Sydney for an Australian Open showdown with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, the defending champion.

Mamat marches to Manila Masters title

Singaporean Mardan Mamat romped to an emotional six-shot win at the $1 million Manila Masters on Sunday to preserve his playing privileges on the Asian Tour for another two years.

The 47-year-old entered the week in danger of losing his card but a three-under-par 69 in the wind at the Jack Nicklaus designed Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite south of Manila was more than enough to claim his fourth Asian Tour title and first since the 2012 Philippine Open.

"It means a lot to me," said Mamat, who fell to his knees and kissed the green after closing with a par at the last.

"This is my last year of exemption and I needed to play well to keep my card. I wanted to win again to keep my exemption for the next few years."

Mamat entered the day with a four-shot lead and his steely focus resulted in five birdies and two bogeys which were enough for a fourth round in the 60s this week and a 20-under total of 268.

His playing partner Kiradech Aphibarnrat struggled in the conditions on the way to a three-over 75, allowing Frenchman Lionel Weber to finish second after a closing 70.