Garcia's finish is too hot

Sergio Garcia of Spain won the Lancome Trophy in dramatic fashion yesterday, overhauling South Africa's Retief Goosen in the last two holes.

Goosen led by four strokes with four holes to play as the tournament was reduced to a two-horse race between himself and the gutsy 21-year-old Spaniard.

Garcia closed the gap with courageous 15-foot birdie putts at the 15th and 16th and then US Open champion Goosen crumbled on the 17th, driving into trees and three-putting for a bogey.

The Spaniard capitalised to the full by holing a snaking 18-foot birdie putt to draw level with Goosen with one hole to play.

And on the par-three 18th, Garcia landed 12 feet away from the pin, while Goosen plugged his six-iron shot into a greenside bunker.

The South African could only blast out to the far side of the green and just failed to hole his putt back, leaving Garcia two comfortable putts to win the tournament.

Garcia shot a six-under-par 65 for a total of 266, with Goosen closing with a 67, one stroke back.

Third place went to Jean Hugo of South Africa who closed with a 66 for a total of 269, with Gary Emerson of England two strokes further back.

It was Garcia's first win in Europe since taking the Irish Open and the German Masters in his rookie year of 1999.

But two big wins in the United States this year propelled him up to seventh in the world rankings.

The 32-year-old Goosen had been seeking to become the first player to win back-to-back Lancome Trophies since Australian David Graham in 1981 and 1982. But his runner-up spot will consolidate his lead in the European Order of Merit, which he has made his priority for the rest of the season, ending with the Volvo Masters in Spain in November.

Goosen had led after the first and third rounds with Garcia and Sweden's Niclas Fasth closing to within one stroke before yesterday's play.

But Fasth, after briefly joining Goosen atop the leaderboard with two early birdies, was first to fall out of contention with a double bogey and three bogeys from the fifth to the ninth holes. He finished in fifth place on 272.

Garcia dedicated his win to the victims in the United States and also those killed in the explosion in the southern French town of Toulouse.

Asked if winning the trophy made up for not playing in the Ryder Cup, Garcia replied: "No, it doesn't. The Ryder Cup is totally different."