Golf: Brown prevails in playoff after rivals collapse

Australian golfer Mitchell Brown was more than happy to accept the spoils of victory which his rivals so carelessly spurned at the New Zealand PGA Championship yesterday.

The 25-year-old fourth-year professional collected his maiden tournament win by parring the first hole of a playoff to beat compatriot Ashley Hall.

Brown, of Sydney, watched in wonder as his competitors fell over themselves in the drama-filled latter stages of the championship at Clearwater Resort, the last of them Hall, who bogeyed the 18th green in the playoff after three-putting from beyond 20m.

A four-under-par 68 had thrust Brown into contention on seven-under 281 overall but it still took some spectacular collapses by the final group to get him into the playoff.

Hall, who led after the second and third rounds, also bogeyed the last hole of regulation to leave the door ajar for Brown, and New Zealanders Gareth Paddison and Grant Moorhead were others to shoot themselves in the foot.

Moorhead bogeyed the 17th and 18th holes after earlier appearing on top of his game to slip to third place on six-under 282, one outside the playoff, while Paddison imploded, wayward drives on the same two holes seeing him shell six shots and tumble from third to a tie for 14th after a closing round of 76.

Much of the day's play was in almost still conditions under low cloud cover but a strong southerly arrived as the final grouping of Hall, Moorhead and Paddison strode to the 15th tee.

Brown, meanwhile, birdied the 16th and 17th holes, as the wind arrived and he was safely back in the clubhouse as the last group battled their way into the teeth of the southerly on the 18th.

"Had it not got so windy I don't think they would have dropped those shots," Brown said of his good fortune.

"It is always a good thing to be in the clubhouse and there are guys still coming in. It is easier to drop them [shots] than to make them."

American Joe Affrunti and Australian Stephen Allan tied for fourth on 283 after posting rounds of 70 and 71 while Dunedin's Mahal Pearce shot 70 to finish sixth equal on 286 with Australian trio Scott Arnold, Andrew Bonhomme and Adam Crawford.

Four players tied for 10th, among them American-based New Zealander Grant Waite, who shot 68, Christchurch's Anthony Doyle and Aucklander Michael Hendry.

Brown, a former winner of the New Zealand amateur championship, had some sympathy for Hall, with whom he has shared hotel rooms while plying their trade in Asia.

Hall was not quite so understanding, not after a round containing more three-putts than he would care to remember and wasted birdie opportunities on the 11th and 14th when his missed his target from 1m and 0.5m respectively.

"It was just a battle, definitely a battle," Hall said after shooting 73. He had began the final round with a three-shot advantage on his closest pursuers.

"Until the last three holes it was a day for scoring. I had figured if I shot even par I'd have a chance anyway but I didn't play good enough, I didn't hole any putts."

Hall had to suffer the indignity of bogeying the 18th hole twice within the space of 20 minutes. During regulation he left a chip from the fringe 3m short and missed the putt; in the playoff his first putt from long range ran past the target by 3m again and he came up short with the one coming back.

Hall, Brown, Moorhead and Paddison were all tied for the lead on seven-under after 12 holes but they soon separated themselves, with Brown recovering from a double bogey six on the 13th after his tee shot hit a cart path en route to a lake.

But the other three could not make up lost ground. Left-hander Paddison had two wayward drives. He lost his ball on the 17th and then found the hazard again with a replacement. On the last he attempted tried to hit his way out of a hazard only to worsen his predicament.

Moorhead, who looked the steadiest player in the final grouping, came unstuck on the last two holes, the wrong club selection costing him on 17 while a good drive ended in a fairway bunker on the last.

- NZPA