Pettersson prospers in play-off

GOLF/Portugal Open: There is a popular Portuguese saying - Abril agua mil - to the effect that rainfall increases a thousandfold in the month of April, but few Algarvians can remember a soggier, windier start to spring.

There were no complaints from Swede Carl Pettersson, who was required to play only 37 holes, two rounds plus one sudden-death hole, to score a first European Tour victory here at the Portuguese Open.

Rounds of 66 and 76 were enough to put him in a tie at two under par with Britain's David Gilford, who scored ultra-steady rounds of 70, 72. Pettersson's par four at the first extra hole, the 18th, won him the title as Gilford could do no better than bogey.

It is the seventh time a European Tour event has been "shrunk" to 36 holes, the last occasion coming in last year's Celtic Manor Wales Open when Paul McGinley ousted Paul Lawrie and Daren Lee for a £125,000 win that earned him a Ryder Cup baptism.

This time the victor took home £76,500 - three-quarters of the scheduled jackpot - which was enough to lift Pettersson to fifth place in the money list with £229,437 after third, fourth and fifth place finishes.

The championship, having been reduced to 54 holes after 11 hours and 28 minutes of lost playing time, over the first three days, was further cut to 36 after only 35 minutes play was possible yesterday before the wind whipped up enough to start blowing balls once more off a trio of greens.

The field of 79 spent five hours kicking their heels in the clubhouse waiting for it to abate, but it failed to happen, with violent rain squalls dousing fairways.

Finally tournament director Mikael Eriksson declared a washout and ordered Gilford and Pettersson to settle matters privately by sudden death.

"It all happened so quickly after we were hanging about all day," said Pettersson, who is still based in North Carolina where he attended college. "I don't think it has sunk in yet.

"It was nice to at least get the play-off in because I like those situations to test myself and see how you perform. I was very nervous, the most nervous I've ever been on a golf course, but I handled it well."