EUROPEAN TOUR:A poor back nine cost Gareth Maybin the chance of winning the Ballantine's Championship in Jeju, South Korea yesterday. The Ballyclare player shared the lead with winner Marcus Fraser at the turn but lost his way down the stretch.
Maybin finished four shots behind the Australian in joint second on eight under after a 72.
Graeme McDowell, who won the tournament in 2008, ended in tied 28th on one under after a 71 while Shane Lowry’s 75 left him on one over.
Maybin birdied the first, fourth and ninth to join Fraser at the top but then his problems began. After a bogey at 10, he hit his approach into a bunker at 12 and missed his par putt from inside six feet, and although he atoned with a 20-foot birdie at the next, he dropped another shot at 16 and lost outright second place at the last when his putt lipped out.
“I didn’t really come in with a whole lot of form, so to finish second is a great result any time,” the 29-year-old said. “I didn’t play the back nine great so there are a few things there that need a bit of improvement but overall I’m happy enough.”
Fraser ended a seven-year winless streak after coasting to a four-shot victory Maybin and fellow Australian Brett Rumford.
Fraser has been a regular fixture on the European Tour since winning his first title at the 2003 Russian Open, but admitted he was on the verge of walking away from the game with only a handful of top-10 finishes to his name before a prosperous 2009 season.
Fraser made crucial par saves on back-to-back holes before the turn to share the halfway lead with Maybin. But as Maybin faded down the stretch, Fraser maintained his composure on a testing back nine which halted the challenge of many, including Ernie Els, and had the luxury of being able to drop only his second shot of the week on the final green.
Defending champion Thongchai Jaidee (75), who sat one shot adrift of Fraser heading into the final round, slipped down into a tie for ninth along with Els (74).
US TOUR:Bringing a three-shot lead into the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Jason Bohn carded three birdies on his back nine to lead the field on 17 under through 16 holes last night. Jeff Overton was one shot back through 15 while rookie Troy Merritt (67), who turned professional in 2008, finished on 14 under, three shots ahead of Britain's Stuart Appelby carded a 68.
WOMEN'S NATIONS CUP:Anna Nordqvist and Sophie Gustafson secured Sweden their first-ever win in the Comunitat Valenciana European Nations Cup by beating Australia on the third play-off hole in Alicante yesterday.
The Australian pairing of Karrie Webb and Karen Lunn had set the target with a six-under 66 and Nordqvist showed her class, rolling in a six-foot eagle putt on the 448-yard par-five 18th hole for a 68 to tie with Australia. It took three more holes to separate the teams, but Sweden eventually won with a tap-in birdie on the 18th, after Webb’s 20-foot birdie putt horse-shoed out of the hole.Ireland’s Rebecca Coakley and Hazel Kavanagh finished well off the pace.
WOMEN'S AMATEUR STROKEPLAY:Royal County Down's Danielle McVeigh won the Helen Holm Scottish Women's Amateur strokeplay Championship at Royal Troom, Scotland, yesterday. The 22-year-old carded a 70 to finish two shots ahead of Nikki Foster (67). Lisa (74) and Leona (69) Maguire finished a further two shots behind.
