Costa del Sol Golf

Chris Wood, last season’s Rookie of the Year on the European Tour, could be the next uncapped player to throw his hat into the Ryder Cup ring.

The 22-year-old from Bristol leads the Wales Open after a record-equalling opening round of 65, six under par, on the same Celtic Manor course where October’s match takes place.

Six of the current top nine in the points race do not have a cap between them, but Wood has already shown what he can do by finishing fifth in the 2008 Open as an amateur and then third at Turnberry last July.

He was also unbeaten on his Britain and Ireland debut against Continental Europe in the Vivendi Trophy that followed - and his last three finishes have been third, fifth and sixth.

After the disappointment of a closing 77 when leading the BMW PGA at Wentworth two weeks ago the 6ft 5in golfer, able to commute from home across the Severn Bridge, hit back with six birdies in a flawless display.

Yet Wood, who ended day one in front of Welshman Bradley Dredge and Australian Andrew Dodt, is not ready yet to declare the Ryder Cup his number one target.

“I would say it’s completely in the back of my mind,” he said. “It’s not been a massive goal of mine, but I know my game is capable enough of playing at that level.

“I’m just looking to win now. Obviously I’ve started to get myself in contention more often, so the more I do it the more likely it’s going to happen.

“I’ve just got to stay patient - and play good golf.”

The best of his birdies came at the 439-yard eighth, his 16th, where he struck a nine-iron out of a fairway bunker to five feet.

Last week’s Madrid Masters winner Luke Donald, at ninth in the world the highest-ranked player in the field, managed only a four over 75.

But leading local hope Rhys Davies, the player he pushed into second place in Spain, is very much in the hunt again following a 67.

Dredge finished second in this event three years ago, albeit on another of the courses at the resort, and after his round pointed out an additional advantage of playing on home soil.

“I actually prefer it when I get out and there’s more friends and family in the crowd,” he said.

“I feel like if I hit it in the rough there’ll always be someone there to kick it back out … only joking.”

Ross McGowan, currently fifth in the cup standings just behind Donald, was five under with four to play, but lost a ball on the driveable 15th and, after double-bogeying there, dropped further shots at the 16th and long 18th for a one-under 70.

On the same mark were Spanish Open champion Alvaro Quiros, thanks in a part to a hole-in-one on the 189-yard third, and cup captain Colin Montgomerie.

Those two were playing together and it was another opportunity for Montgomerie to admire the 27-year-old’s immense power, an asset he believes could be really useful against the Americans in four months’ time.

Simon Khan, back in action after his life-changing victory at Wentworth, sank a 35-foot putt for an eagle two on the 15th, but played the rest in two over for a 71.

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European captain Colin Montgomerie wants and expects everybody still fighting for a Ryder Cup place to be in Scotland rather than America in the last week of qualifying.

Two years ago Ian Poulter caused a furore when he stayed in the States when he still could have got into the side on points by playing at Gleneagles in the Johnnie Walker Championship.

Nick Faldo stuck to his guns by picking Poulter, but whether Montgomerie - one of those who spoke out about the Englishman’s absence - hands anyone a wildcard in the same scenario now remains to be seen.

“I want to see them showing support for European golf and the European Tour and I will be very, very surprised if they are not there,” said the Scot on the eve of the Wales Open, over the same Celtic Manor course where October’s match takes place.

“That would make a whole lot of sense to a whole lot of people. I am convinced that I will have around eight candidates for three spots.

“You can count on those eight playing at Gleneagles. They will be there.”

It is not just any event in the States the same week, however.

It is the first of the four FedEx Cup play-off series events - a series that offers a 10million reward - and among those likely to have qualified are Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia and Brian Davis.

Poulter and McIlroy have just about done enough to make it into the side on points already - as has Lee Westwood, who is not a US Tour member - and so will avoid Montgomerie’s wrath by being there, but the others need a strong summer to avoid the cup race coming down to the last few weeks or week.

Garcia, an ever-present in the side since he became the youngest-ever cup player at the age of 19 in 1999, told Press Association Sport last week: “The Ryder Cup is important, but you can’t change your whole schedule for it.”

Donald, meanwhile, commented: “That will be a tough call, whether I can afford to miss a play-off event. I’ll have to take it as it comes.”

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Seven days after his agony at Wentworth it was ecstasy for Luke Donald as he ended four years without a win at the Madrid Masters.

And that makes it an incredible four English players in the world’s top nine just nine years after Lee Westwood was the only one in the top 100.

Donald, who blew the BMW PGA Championship by taking a double bogey seven on the penultimate hole, this time grabbed a brilliant eagle to settle his duel with Welshman .

Level with three to play the 32-year-old hit a 252-yard fairway wood to 12 feet on the long 16th and with his third eagle of the week - “it’s because I’m a big-hitter” he joked - struck the decisive blow.

Davies, already a winner in this his first full season on the European Tour, birdied the hole and still had a chance to force sudden death, but his 20-foot effort on the last was never on the right line.

The victory lifts Donald from 13th to ninth in the world - and to fourth place in the Ryder Cup points race, knocking Padraig Harrington out of the top nine who will earn automatic spots at the end of August.

His last victory was the Honda Classic in America in March 2006 and his last in Europe came in Switzerland in September 2004.

Donald won with a closing 67 to Davies’s 68 and with a 21 under par total of 267. It earned him £214,242, but he said: “The money is secondary.

“It’s been a while since I won and to put last week behind me makes me very proud.

“The way I played today means a lot to me. The eagle was huge because Rhys put a lot of pressure on me.

“It’s happiness and relief - definitely some relief.”

After last year’s Open, where he came fifth, an American writer coined the term “Luke Donald Disease”, pointing to him as the perfect example of a bunch of British players who earn a lot but do not win very often.

“It was a bad article - it’s wrong,” commented Donald. “I don’t listen to my critics too much, but it was frustrating for myself not having won for four years.”

He can now point to the fact that England has as many players in the top 10 - himself, Westwood, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey - as America does.

And there is also Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy there too.

Davies, 25 last Friday, would have leapt into the top 50 with victory, but he is climbing fast and he will hope to go one better at this coming week’s Wales Open at Celtic Manor.

“I didn’t make a bogey in the final group in a big tournament,” Davies said. “It didn’t quite come off, but I’ve got lots to be pleased about.

“I was chasing the win and I just came up short unfortunately. On the 16th I thought I might keep the momentum (he had just birdied the 15th to level), but he threw in an eagle to be fair to him.”

Italian Francesco Molinari had also eagled the 16th to be in the joint lead, but that was before Donald and Davies played the hole and he finished third on 18 under.

A further shot back in fourth was Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, whose 65 was one outside the course record equalled earlier in the day by Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara.

Collated final round scores & totals in the European Tour Madrid Masters, Real Sociedad Hipica Espanola Club de Campo, Madrid, Spain

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):

267 Luke Donald 65 67 68 67

268 Rhys Davies 65 68 67 68

270 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 67 70 65 68

271 Graeme McDowell 68 68 70 65

273 Robert Rock 70 68 67 68

275 Stephen Gallacher 69 73 66 67, Jamie Donaldson 65 70 70 70, Peter Lawrie 71 69 68 67

276 Oliver Wilson 70 71 70 65

277 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 71 71 67 68, Brett Rumford (Aus) 67 71 71 68, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 71 72 65 69, Simon Dyson 70 69 70 68, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 69 70 64 74, Gregory Havret (Fra) 68 74 69 66

278 Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 67 70 70 71, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 67 71 70 70, Richard Finch 68 71 69 70, Julien Quesne (Fra) 72 69 71 66, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 69 70 68 71

279 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 73 68 68 70, Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 68 73 68 70, Nick Dougherty 69 70 70 70, Markus Brier (Aut) 68 75 68 68, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 68 73 70 68, Graeme Storm 73 64 67 75, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 70 72 73 64

280 Gary Orr 73 67 71 69, Joost Luiten (Ned) 70 69 74 67, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 71 70 71 68, David Lynn 72 70 68 70, Clodomiro Carranza (Arg) 73 67 70 70, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 71 67 72 70, Benjamin Hebert (Fra) 68 70 72 70, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 71 70 70 69

281 Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 75 67 71 68, Damien McGrane 69 73 67 72, Christian Nilsson (Swe) 69 70 70 72, Alastair Forsyth 74 69 71 67, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 72 71 69 69

282 Peter Whiteford 73 70 66 73, Shane Lowry 69 74 70 69, Santiago Luna (Spa) 69 71 74 68, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 69 72 69 72, Paul McGinley 66 74 70 72, Johan Edfors (Swe) 67 73 71 71

283 Richard Green (Aus) 71 67 74 71, Oskar Henningsson (Swe) 70 71 69 73, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 72 71 71 69

284 Carl Suneson (Spa) 69 73 71 71, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor) 68 74 72 70

285 Danny Lee (Nzl) 69 74 68 74, Gary Boyd 73 68 74 70, Phillip Price 67 74 71 73, Tano Goya (Arg) 69 72 67 77, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 75 67 67 76, Oliver Fisher 70 72 73 70, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 70 72 74 69, Ross McGowan 68 74 74 69

286 Gary Clark 71 71 73 71, Sion E Bebb 70 71 72 73, Bradley Dredge 67 73 72 74

287 John Parry 72 70 73 72, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 66 76 73 72

288 Sam Hutsby 73 69 70 76, Paul Lawrie 73 70 69 76

289 James Kingston (Rsa) 68 71 76 74

290 Julien Guerrier (Fra) 68 74 71 77, James Morrison 70 70 76 74

291 Jorge Campillo (Spa) 72 70 75 74

292 Alvaro Salto (Spa) 74 68 72 78, David Drysdale 69 74 74 75, Stephen Dodd 69 74 75 74

294 Kenneth Ferrie 73 70 70 81

295 Marc Warren 70 71 81 73, Rick Kulacz (Aus) 72 71 78 74

296 Marcel Siem (Ger) 72 71 76 77

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Luke Donald remains on course to make it an amazing four English golfers in the world’s top 10, nine years after they had only Lee Westwood in the top 100.

But whether Donald can do it in the way he wants, by winning the Madrid Masters, remains to be seen after European Tour rookie Rhys Davies birdied two of the last three holes to join him on 16 under par with a round to go.

Even with a second-place finish at the Real Sociedad course Donald, currently ranked 13th, will join Westwood, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey in the world’s top 10.

But after what happened at Wentworth last Sunday, victory is all that is on his mind.

The 32-year-old, who lost the BMW PGA Championship by one after taking seven at the penultimate hole, fired a bogey-free 68.

However, Welshman Davies, already a winner in Morocco in his first full season on the circuit, holed from eight feet at the long 16th and then from 12 on the 198-yard 17th for a 67.

His round included eight birdies, but also a bogey at the third and double bogey on the short seventh.

Donald, who led by one at halfway, said: “To rebound from the disappointment of last week and be in contention shows a lot about my character.

“I was struggling a bit off the tee on the back side. Not to have a bogey was good, but it would have been nice to make a couple more birdies.”

Davies said: “I made two little errors, very minor, and got severely punished for both.

“It was annoying at the time, but I focused on keeping my head in the right position and took on the shots I felt like I needed to.

“Saturday is a little bit different because there is still a long way to go.”

Donald’s last title was the US Tour’s Honda Classic four years ago and for his last win in Europe you have to go back to the 2004 European Masters in Switzerland.

The world ranking points on offer mean that Donald will go fourth in the Ryder Cup table by ending his barren spell, a move that would knock Padraig Harrington out of an automatic spot.

Italian Francesco Molinari is two strokes back in third place after a 65 highlighted by five birdies in the opening seven holes and then a fairway wood to six feet for eagle at the 562-yard 16th.

Big-hitting Alvaro Quiros moved into fourth place with a course record-equalling 64 that almost came out of nowhere.

He was “only” four under for the day with three to play, but two-putted the 16th, made a 15-footer on the next and then pitched in from 58 yards for a closing eagle two.

It gives the 27-year-old the chance of a second victory on home soil this month. He started May by capturing the Spanish Open in a play-off with England’s James Morrison.

England’s Graeme Storm, the man who set the course record the day before, followed up with a 67 and is fifth.

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A week that began with Phil Mickelson eyeing the top spot in the world rankings ended prematurely on Friday when he missed the cut by a significant margin at the Colonial Invitational.  

On an ideal day for scoring at Colonial Country Club, the American left-hander battled to a three-over-par 73 in the second round to languish near the bottom of the leaderboard.

Mickelson, who would have replaced Tiger Woods as world number one for the first time with victory this week, bogeyed three of his last seven holes to lie a distant six strokes off the projected cutline.

“I played terrible,” the four-times Major champion said after recording five bogeys and two birdies in calm, hot conditions. “The course is in great shape.

“There was no wind and there were a ton of birdies out there. And I didn’t make have many of them. I thought my game was sharper.

“This was a good barometer, though,” Mickelson said after posting a four-over total of 144. “This starts my run into the (June 17-20) U.S. Open. It tells me that I have a lot of work to do.”

Mickelson, who clinched his fourth Major at last month’s U.S. Masters, had not missed a cut on the US PGA Tour since last year’s Houston Open, a run of 21 events.

“I thought I was playing really well,” the world number two said. “I had some good practice sessions at home. As it turned out, I’m a little bit rustier than I thought.

“I didn’t drive it very well. I didn’t hit many good iron shots. I’ll get home, get some practice in and see if I can get this thing turned around.”

Mickelson, a short game magician, has produced a glittering career resume including 38 US Tour titles but he has never topped the world rankings.

Asked this week whether he was surprised the number one spot had eluded him since he turned professional in 1992, he replied: “I don’t know how to answer that.

“I would say 13 of those years were in Tiger years. It hasn’t been the easiest.”

Woods has been world number one for the last 259 weeks, and an overall total of 601

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Tiger Woods will return to the PGA Tour to defend his title at next week’s Memorial tournament in Dublin, Ohio.

 The 14-times Major champion has not competed since he was forced to withdraw from the final round of this month’s Players Championship in Florida because of neck pain.

“The doctors advised me to take a week off and rest, which I did,” Woods said in a statement.

“They prescribed physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication and soft-tissue messages, which I’m continuing with.

“Although I’m not 100 percent, I feel much better and look forward to competing next week.”

Woods, committed to the June 17-20 US Open at Pebble Beach, said he resumed normal practice sessions last week after healing an inflamed facet joint.

The 14-times major champion is a four-times winner of the Memorial tournament which is hosted by Jack Nicklaus at Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Woods has, however, played only three events since returning from a self-imposed exile of five months following revelations about his marital infidelities at the end of last year.

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Nine holes of practice had seen five balls disappear into water, but when Tiger Woods spoke to reporters in Florida it was clear that the state of his game is not his major worry right now.

Four days after crashing to a 79 and missing the cut at Quail Hollow by an incredible eight shots, Woods looked and sounded thoroughly down as he tries to prepare for the £6.2million Players Championship, golf’s richest event.

Amid continuing reports that his Swedish wife is seeking a divorce over the sex scandal that rocked sport five months ago, the world number one admitted that his emotional turmoil is impacting on his golf.

“Absolutely,” said Woods, who has Ian Poulter as one of his two partners in the opening two rounds at Sawgrass and who could lose top spot in the rankings to Phil Mickelson if he is outside the first five on Sunday.

“I’ve had two different low moments. Obviously what I’m going through now and then my father’s death.”

This is the third event of his comeback. In the first he managed what many considered, given the circumstances, a brilliant fourth place in The Masters, but last week was arguably the worst of his career.

Invited to compare this return to golf to last year after an eight-month injury lay-off he replied: “This is more taxing certainly away from the golf course with paparazzi following me and all those kind of things.

“I didn’t have the distractions getting ready for events. You know, helicopters don’t normally fly over you on the range and kind of hover and film you.

“That wasn’t the case then, but that’s the case now.”

And when asked whether he was angry or surprised about the Sports Illustrated article in which nearly a quarter of players polled said they thought he had taken performance-enhancing drugs he answered: “After what’s happened in my life?

“Well, I haven’t taken it. I’ve never taken performance-enhancing drugs, never taken HGH (human growth hormone), never taken any of that stuff.

“But everyone is entitled to their opinion.”

As for how he is playing Woods added in spite of some of the evidence of his morning’s work: “It’s getting better, no doubt. It couldn’t get any worse.

“I don’t like missing cuts (he has only ever missed six as a professional and never two in a row) and it’s just one of those things where just a little bit of work, tighten things up a little bit and get refocused for this event.”

There are rumours that he and coach Hank Haney could be parting company, but on that he stated: “I’m still working with him.”

He was also categorical that the man advertising his “Grand Slam” irons on ebay for 250,000 does not have the real thing.

“They’re in my garage,” he said.

Because of how he played last week Woods is only joint favourite with Mickelson this time - and bookmakers William Hill’s think that has not happened since the 1996 Masters.

Because of how Rory McIlroy played last week - closing rounds of 66 and 62 to win his first US Tour title by four - he is listed as third favourite.

Woods is as impressed as anyone by the Northern Irishman, who turned 21 today.

“Rory hits it past me. I shrimp it out there now,” he said after praising not only McIlroy, but also 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa for his 58 in Japan on Sunday.

“I think it’s how the game has evolved. With the advent of technology these kids are able to view their swings via a camera and make improvements so much faster and earlier.

“Their golf swings are so much better at an earlier age, even from when I grew up.”

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The Spanish Open will go ahead in Seville this week without two of Spain’s biggest stars.

Jose Maria Olazabal designed the Real Club course on which Frenchman Thomas Levet will defend the title, but the 44-year-old, plagued by rheumatism, still does not feel well enough to play what would have been his first event for over six months.

Sergio Garcia, on the other hand, simply has other priorities.

Garcia’s rare appearances in Britain have been attributed to the tax system, but he has not played his national championship since 2003.

Without a top-three finish since he went to world number two by capturing the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai in November 2008, the 30-year-old is now down to 24th on the rankings, but hopes to bounce back to form at next week’s Players Championship in Florida.

That was the scene for the biggest win of his career two years ago.

Sad though Garcia’s recent decline has been, it has nothing on what Olazabal has been going through - and when he will next play is anybody’s guess.

“I have no idea,” his manager Sergio Gomez told Press Association Sport.

“He’s practising and when he played a round 10 days ago he played superbly.

“But he does not feel good enough to play several days in succession. He does not have the strength or the will for that.”

His hardest tournament of all to miss was, of course, The Masters earlier this month.

Olazabal’s two major triumphs have come at Augusta, the second of them in 1999 a highly emotional affair after he battled back from a crippling state that had kept him out of action for 18 months.

His last event was the Castello Masters in October and he was in joint fourth place at halfway before slipping down to 14th.

As that was his 16th start of the European Tour season - more than double what he managed in 2007 and 2008 - there were high hopes that he was on the road to recovery.

But then Olazabal’s condition worsened again and he is now trying alternative medicines to get him to a point where he can begin competing again.

It was in Seville last year that he said he was not sure he wanted to act as a Ryder Cup vice-captain for the second match in a row.

He had been seen as the front-runner for the top job at Celtic Manor this October, but by the time he finally made himself available the tournament committee had persuaded Colin Montgomerie to stand.

Now Olazabal, whether he agrees to assist his former team-mate or not, is viewed as favourite for Chicago in 2012, but if his absence from the game goes on much longer he could find the odds on him being appointed get longer as well.

One of the reasons given for making Montgomerie the successor to Nick Faldo was that he was still playing on Tour.

The Scot is part of the field again this week and in dire need of stepping up his game.

Montgomerie is now down at 322nd in the world (Olazabal is 467th), has not had a top-40 finish this year and his last top 10 came when he was runner-up at the French Open in June 2008.

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Organisers of July’s Open championship at St Andrews are in no doubt Tiger Woods will be present to try to become the first player ever to win three titles there.

The world number one, triumphant at the Home of Golf by eight shots in 2000 and by five in 2005, returned at The Masters three weeks ago after five months out because of a sex scandal.

Delighted by the reaction of the vast majority of fans at Augusta, Woods plays again in North Carolina this week and has already committed himself to next week’s Players Championship in Florida and June’s US Open at Pebble Beach.

He has not entered for The Open, but Royal and Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson said today: “Entries close on May 27 and in a normal year he would not have entered yet.

“I am absolutely certain he will be with us.”

This year is the 150th anniversary of the first Open and celebrations include a four-hole past champions challenge on the eve of the tournament.

Seve Ballesteros was the first to put himself down for that, but whether his health enables him to return to the scene of his 1984 victory remains to be seen. The Spanish star is still recovering from four brain operations after the discovery of a tumour.

Nick Price (family reasons), Johnny Miller (other commitments) and 89-year-old Australian Kel Nagle, winner on the Old Course in 1960 and the oldest living champion, have all declined their invitations.

Dawson is still waiting to hear, however, from Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus. Norman has recently had shoulder surgery, but Nicklaus controversially said at Augusta he would only attend if the Royal Bank of Scotland, one of his sponsors, wanted him to.

There is still hope he will attend and Dawson pointed out that for those champions not competing in The Open itself travel and hotel costs are being picked up by the club.

Security arrangements for Woods are to be discussed with the police, as is always the case, and Dawson admitted he was glad Augusta National and not the R&A were “guinea pigs” in staging the player’s comeback.

“We will be watching what happens with Tiger and discussing the situation with the police,” he added. “We always act on their advice.

“The Masters had a major problem in having no idea what to expect. If we had been first we would have been scratching our heads.”

Prize money has yet to be announced and could be affected by what happens to the economy after next week’s election.

The winner’s cheque remained £750,000 last year and so there is little chance of the first £1million champion being crowned, as will be the case at Wimbledon this summer.

The biggest change to the Old Course comes at the famous 17th, where what is already by common consent the toughest hole in golf is being lengthened by 40 yards to 495 yards.

And this despite the fact it played to an average of 4.63 five years ago, 4.71 in 2000 and 4.79 when Ballesteros won 26 years ago.

That event was effectively decided by Tom Watson, chasing a record-equalling sixth Claret Jug at the time, firing a two-iron second shot over the green, over the road and up against the wall.

The championship committee has subsequently watched players using seven-irons or even less for their approaches in the annual Dunhill Links and wanted to make it more demanding.

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Jason Bohn held off all challenges to complete a wire-to-wire win in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana on Sunday.

Bohn clinched the second PGA Tour title of his career a day after celebrating his 37th birthday with a final-round, five-under-par 67, to get to 18 under.

He won by two shots from fellow American Jeff Overton with rookie Troy Merritt third on 14 under par and two-time US Open champion Lee Janzen fourth a further shot back.

Bohn had led since an opening 65 and stretched his advantage after the rain and lightning-delayed second round from two to four before it was chipped away heading into the final round.

Bohn, who had completed his third round on Sunday morning at 13 under, led by two shots over Germany’s Alex Cejka after 54 holes with Overton and Janzen at 10 under.

He started slowly in search of his first win since the 2005 BC Open, not getting his first birdie until the eighth hole as Merritt made his move, going out in a three-under-par 33 and then sinking birdies at the 10th, 11th and 13th.

With five holes to play, Merritt was a one-shot leader over Bohn at 15 under but they swapped places at their next holes as the 24-year-old rookie bogeyed the 14th and Bohn birdied the 11th to retake the lead at 15 under.

Janzen made a push for a first title since the 1998 US Open when he eagled the par-four 13th but a bogey at the par-four 16th ended his bid.

Then Bohn moved up a gear, dialling in his approach shot at the par-four 15th from 217 yards to set up a short putt for birdie and adding another at 16 to move two strokes ahead of Overton, who had birdied the 13th to get to 15 under.

As they played the last, Overton kept it interesting by giving himself a long eagle putt with his approach to the par-five 18th but he was trumped by Bohn who with his shorter approach pitched to inches from the hole for a guaranteed birdie and victory.

Overton closed with a birdie to get to 16 under with a six-under 66 and second place with Merritt taking a 67 for third place and Janzen a 69 for fourth.

Australian Greg Chalmers was fifth at 12 under following a 69 while compatriot Stuart Appleby sealed his second consecutive top-10 in sole possession of sixth place on 11 under.

England’s Greg Owen and Sweden’s Daniel Chopra were the leading Europeans as part of a tie for 16th place, after a closing 72 and 70 respectively with another Swede, Mathias Gronberg, finishing birdie, birdie but still shooting a 74 to close at seven under.

Cejka fell further than Gronberg to get to the same place, a tie for 21st, with a two-birdie, six-bogey 76 that saw him slip from contention.

England’s Justin Rose had a three birdie, one bogey 70 to finish on four under and Brian Davis closed with a 76 on two under for the week, seven days on from his runner-up finish at the Verizon Heritage, when he called a penalty on himself during a sudden-death play-off with Jim Furyk.

Sergio Garcia’s problems returned with a closing 76 that left him at two over in spite of closing birdie, birdie.

Collated final round scores & totals

(USA unless stated, par 72):

270 Jason Bohn 65 67 71 67

272 Jeff Overton 67 69 70 66

274 Troy Merritt 68 70 69 67

275 Lee Janzen 71 66 69 69

276 Greg Chalmers (Aus) 70 68 69 69

277 Stuart Appleby (Aus) 72 67 70 68

278 Chris Riley 73 66 70 69, Jason Dufner 67 74 69 68, Nicholas Thompson 72 69 69 68

279 Jarrod Lyle (Aus) 70 68 73 68, Aron Price (Aus) 69 70 70 70, Roland Thatcher 73 69 68 69, Boo Weekley 70 70 70 69, Kevin Sutherland 68 72 69 70, Matthew Jones (Aus) 69 73 67 70

280 Daniel Chopra (Swe) 72 70 68 70, Chad Collins 72 69 73 66, Michael Connell 76 67 69 68, Greg Owen (Eng) 67 70 71 72, Josh Teater 70 71 70 69

281 Charlie Wi (Kor) 74 67 71 69, John Rollins 74 68 68 71, Chris Stroud 69 72 72 68, Ken Duke 72 70 69 70, Mathias Gronberg (Swe) 69 71 67 74, Garrett Willis 71 69 72 69, Alex Cejka (Ger) 70 67 68 76

282 Spencer Levin 73 69 70 70, Michael Letzig 72 68 71 71, Charley Hoffman 73 68 70 71, Michael Bradley 73 70 71 68, Steve Flesch 70 71 71 70, David Toms 69 69 69 75, Alex Prugh 72 70 68 72, Aaron Baddeley (Aus) 70 72 73 67, Cameron Tringale 69 70 70 73

283 Andres Romero (Arg) 72 68 76 67, K J Choi (Kor) 68 72 70 73, Chris Couch 67 71 68 77, Rich Barcelo 69 74 71 69, Kevin Streelman 71 71 73 68, Shaun Micheel 70 67 72 74

284 Billy Mayfair 74 69 68 73, John Senden (Aus) 67 69 75 73, Bubba Watson 71 71 75 67, Cameron Percy (Aus) 73 70 69 72, Nick O’Hern (Aus) 70 70 73 71, Charles Howell III 68 73 69 74, Justin Rose (Eng) 70 72 72 70, Arjun Atwal (Ind) 71 71 68 74, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 71 70 71 72, Carlos Franco (Par) 70 72 71 71

285 Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 69 72 70 74, David Duval 68 72 72 73, Tom Pernice Jnr. 69 74 68 74, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 72 71 71 71

286 Jeff Klauk 70 72 68 76, Brian Davis (Eng) 71 66 73 76, Chris Tidland 72 70 71 73, Kevin Stadler 70 70 72 74, Brenden Pappas (Rsa) 71 68 72 75

287 John Merrick 72 70 74 71, Joe Ogilvie 71 71 72 73, Ted Purdy 72 70 73 72, Skip Kendall 71 72 70 74, Troy Matteson 71 71 73 72

289 Jerry Kelly 71 72 70 76, Francis Quinn 71 72 69 77, Tom Gillis 72 70 72 75

290 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 73 69 72 76, Craig Bowden 69 74 71 76

291 Phil Schmitt 74 67 77 73

293 Mark Hensby (Aus) 71 72 72 78

296 Brad Faxon 69 74 75 78

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