Golf: Coltart back in the swing

Andrew Coltart survived several scares yesterday before clinching the Great North Golf Open in Hexham, England, and moving back into Ryder Cup contention.

Although the Scot frittered away a three-shot lead, his final round of 72 for 11-under 277 gave him a one-shot victory and 217,209 Ryder Cup points.

After mistakes by his rivals towards the end of their rounds, Coltart regained his composure to finish a shot ahead of English rookie Paul Casey and fellow Scot Stephen Gallacher.

Struggling over the first nine holes, Coltart lost his lead with two bogeys just before the turn.

But after conceding top place to England's Daren Lee, Coltart fought back to share the lead as he came to the last tee with fellow Briton Bradley Dredge, Lee having bogeyed the last two holes.

Standing on the elevated final tee, Coltart watched as Dredge, whose wayward drive hit a spectator, ran up a double bogey.

Coltart's calm par enabled him to finish a stroke better than Casey and Gallacher, who were waiting in the clubhouse for a playoff.

Coltart finally broke a drought of over three years and more than 300 rounds since his maiden victory at the Qatar Masters.

His first prize of $US188,000 ($454,000) took him to 10th on the Order of Merit, his main goal for the season, which will open major championship doors.

And he now has the chance to seal an automatic Ryder Cup place by finishing in the top 10.

Coltart kept the trophy in the family following the triumph of his brother-in-law, Lee Westwood, who missed the cut, 12 months ago.

"If I did this a bit more often and followed Lee, I'd be doing well," Coltart said.

* Sergio Garcia neared his second career US PGA Tour victory yesterday.

And one golfer he may not have to contend with in the final round of the Buick Classic is Tiger Woods.

Garcia had a five-under 66 during the rain-delayed third round for a two-shot lead at 12-under 201, and led Woods by eight shots.

Woods hit some errant irons on his last nine holes after a fast start en-route to a three-under 68.

The largest third-round deficit Woods has ever made up to win on the PGA Tour was five shots at last year's Pebble Beach AT&T National Pro-Am.

Scott Hoch, the halfway leader with Garcia at seven-under, also had a 68 yesterday and was second at 10-under 203.

J. P. Hayes shot 67 and was alone in third a stroke behind Hoch.

Stewart Cink, Russ Cochran and Gabriel Hjertstedt were at seven-under 206.

The best of the two New Zealanders remaining was Frank Nobilo, who carded his second successive 69 to sit on 211, 10 shots shy of Garcia.

Michael Campbell ballooned out to 219 courtesy of a 75.

The final round will be today.

The opening round was interrupted by rain and the third round was pushed back to yesterday after a downpour left several holes at the Westchester Country Club waterlogged.

* Veteran New Zealander Simon Owen yesterday finished 28th in the Palmerston Trophy on the European Seniors Tour.

Owen, aged 50, shot a final round one-over 73 to finish on 225.

That left him nine over for the tournament, held on the Faldo Course at Sporting Club Berlin, in Germany.

Owen had rounds of 74, 78 and 73 to finish 13 strokes off the lead.

Denis O'Sullivan, of Ireland, closed with a 69 to romp to his third Seniors Tour victory.

He started the final round with a one-shot advantage and he went on to finish four shots ahead of Northern Ireland's Eddie Polland and Seiji Ebihara, of Japan.

- AGENCIES