Golf:England's Mark Foster was the nearly man again as Thomas Bjorn won a five-man, five-hole play-off in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. The 40-year-old Dane beat South African George Coetzee after Foster, who led three of his four previous events without victory, took a bogey six on the final hole of regulation play when one ahead.
That dropped him alongside Bjorn, Coetzee, Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger on the 11-under-par mark of 277.
Foster then took six again on the fourth extra hole and, as Bjorn and Coetzee continued, he was left to reflect on the fact that he still has not tasted victory since 2003 - 238 European Tour events ago.
The 37-year-old from Worksop had led by three with eight holes to play, but was caught after he bogeyed the 12th and Bjorn, fourth in The Open last month, birdied both the 13th and long 16th.
It was back in Foster's hands when Bjorn three-putted the short 17th, missing from four feet for the second time in the round. But driving into the trees down the last meant there was still all to do for the former English amateur champion.
There was a gap ahead of him, but his second shot found the rough, he could not make the green in three and his pitch rolled back down a slope to 20 feet.
His putt to win never had the pace to reach the hole and, given what had just happened, he did well to join the play-off.
Wiesberger dropped out first, running up a six after driving into a bush and taking a penalty drop, and Larrazabal went next. He also took six after his chip for birdie from over the green hit the hole, but went nearly five feet past.
He and Coetzee had been involved in a six-hole play-off at Sunningdale in June for a place in The Open, the Pretoria golfer eventually winning that in near-darkness, and Larrazabal then had a five-hole shoot-out with Sergio Garcia before capturing the BMW International Open in Munich later in the month.
Bjorn, who went closest to winning on the first extra hole when he lipped out from the back bunker, looked as if he might triumph at the third when he pitched to within three feet of the flag.
However, Coetzee followed to five feet and Foster to two. All three birdied and so they went back to the 18th tee yet again.
After Foster's exit it was finally decided after Bjorn pitched to within three feet for a third successive birdie.
Joint sixth, but only one stroke back, were Scotland's Stephen Gallacher and Swede Joel Sjoholm, both of whom had failed to birdie the last.
Ireland's Peter Lawrie finished with a 74 to drop back to six under, seven ahead of Michael Hoey after the Ulserman carded a final round 70.
Collated final-round scores (Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):
277Thomas Bjorn (Den) 68 69 71 69, Mark Foster 66 71 68 72, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 69 71 68 69, George Coetzee (Rsa) 77 66 67 67, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 70 68 70 69 (Thomas Bjorn won at fifth extra hole)
278Joel Sjoholm (Swe) 70 71 69 68, Stephen Gallacher 74 68 67 69
279Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 67 69 69 74, Kenneth Ferrie 68 69 73 69, Victor Dubuisson (Fra) 69 70 73 67
281Anthony Kang (USA) 73 66 69 73, Gary Boyd 70 71 72 68, Marc Warren 70 69 70 72, Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa) 68 73 72 68
282Carlos Del Moral (Spa) 72 70 69 71, Seung-yul Noh (Kor) 72 71 68 71, Chris Wood 69 73 70 70, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 67 72 70 73, Peter Lawrie 68 69 71 74, Simon Dyson 70 71 69 72
283James Morrison 69 69 71 74
284John Parry 69 74 69 72, Lorenzo Gagli (Ita) 69 68 72 75, Christopher Doak 71 72 68 73, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 74 70 69 71
285Gary Orr 71 72 71 71, Richard McEvoy 69 70 72 74, Jamie Donaldson 70 72 71 72, James Byrne 70 71 73 71, Bradley Dredge 71 71 73 70
286Marco Ruiz (Par) 73 71 69 73, Damien McGrane 69 73 73 71, Anders Hansen (Den) 71 70 71 74, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 70 74 72 70, Tano Goya (Arg) 67 76 71 72, Oscar Floren (Swe) 72 72 70 72, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 69 70 76 71
287Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 68 74 69 76, Richard Bland 69 75 72 71, Gareth Wright 70 71 73 73, Oliver Wilson 70 69 76 72, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 72 72 68 75, Simon Thornton 70 74 71 72
288Francesco Molinari (Ita) 70 74 74 70, Richie Ramsay 69 72 72 75, Andrew Dodt (Aus) 72 72 72 72, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 71 69 76 72, Thomas Norret (Den) 69 72 74 73, Romain Wattel (Fra) 70 72 74 72, Alastair Forsyth 70 71 77 70, Barry Lane 69 75 72 72
289 Michael Hoey 73 71 75 70, Johan Edfors (Swe) 73 71 75 70
290Jordi Garcia (Spa) 72 72 73 73, Stuart Manley 71 71 70 78, Borja Etchart (Spa) 71 72 74 73
291Stephen Dodd 74 69 74 74, Robert Coles 69 73 76 73
292Paul Lawrie 72 72 73 75, Miles Tunnicliff 70 73 69 80
293Martin Wiegele (Aut) 71 72 75 75, Hennie Otto (Rsa) 70 72 74 77, Matt Haines 71 72 74 76
294Colin Montgomerie 70 73 77 74, Paul Mckechnie 73 71 75 75
295Christian Cevaer (Fra) 71 73 76 75
296Jamie Elson 72 72 74 78
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