Golf: Second win comes after horrid week

Gareth Paddison played so poorly last week that he went into the Victorian Open without expectations.

But things can change so much in a week on the golf course, he found out.

The New Zealander celebrated his second victory as a professional when he shot a final-round 67 to leave the rest of the field for dead, winning the Open by five shots.

The situation seemed almost hopeless for Paddison at the British Open qualifying event at Kingston Heath a week earlier, and he went to Woodlands for the Victorian event with no expectations and no pressure.

The left-hander said he left Kingston Heath with "no idea" where his game was at.

However, the 23-year-old blitzed the field with two rounds of flawless golf.

The Victorian Open was promoted as an event that uncovered future stars, and Paddison fitted the bill.

He began the final round tied for the lead with Victorian Paul Sheehan, and sprinted to four under for the day after seven holes.

Then he watched as those closest to him self-destructed.

Long before he walked down the 18th fairway, resplendent in all black, Paddison knew he could not be overhauled, and he rolled in a four-metre birdie putt at the last hole to reach 12 under and put an exclamation mark on his victory.

He pocketed $21,000 for the win, which followed his first tournament victory at Dunedin in 2002.

"I holed a 12-footer for the win in that tournament, so to hole that [birdie] brought back some good memories," he said.

Sheehan, who shot a final-round 71, and European-based Victorian Richard Green, who rattled home with a 66, tied for second place at seven under.

Brilliant chipping was the hallmark of Paddison's closing day, as he made superb up-and-downs at the ninth, 10th and 12th to keep his challengers at bay.

"I can't recall when I've chipped that well," he said.

"I had a touch of the Harry Houdinis out there. I was knocking it dead when I had difficult chips. That's reassuring to do that in the heat of the moment."

Sheehan and Shane Tait, playing with Paddison in the final group, both had their chances.

But Tait blew up at the par-three 11th, taking a triple-bogey after twice shanking shots from the right bunker.

At the next, Sheehan sent his drive into thick jungle and a double-bogey put him out of contention.

Paddison was an outstanding amateur in Wellington, and also had success in Australia, finishing second and third in the Riversdale Cup, the long-running Melbourne amateur tournament, as well as reaching the semifinals of the Australian amateur championship.

* In La Quinta, California, Phil Mickelson showed he was back on his game after a disappointing year, beating Skip Kendall on the first playoff hole in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

The victory ended an 18-month winless streak for Mickelson, who dropped from second to 16th in the world rankings.

He rolled a metre-long birdie putt into the centre of the cup to win the Hope, his second victory in the tournament in two years.

Kendall was left still looking for his first tour win. He was runner-up for the fourth time in his career, losing three times in playoffs.

Mickelson, making his 2004 debut, closed with a five-under 68 to match Kendall's final-round 65 at 30-under 330 in the 90-hole tournament.

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