SUN CITY CHALLENGE:AUSTRALIAN ROBERT Allenby ended four years without a win in South Africa yesterday – and nobody would have been surprised it came in sudden death.
Allenby beat defending champion Henrik Stenson at the third extra hole of the Sun City Challenge, his 11th play-off victory in 12 attempts.
The pair had both picked up bogeys at the closing hole to finish on the 11-under-par mark of 277 and then parred the 502-yard 18th twice before Swede Stenson bogeyed it again.
Allenby had struck a glorious second to seven feet and two-putted for a first prize of nearly €800,0000.
It was his first success since his 2005 hat-trick of Australian Open, PGA and Masters titles.
Stenson earned more than €400,000 and so was a runner-up for the second Sunday running. Last week it was with Robert Karlsson at the World Cup in China.
England’s Ross Fisher and South African Tim Clark tied for third on 10 under, Fisher just missing a 20-footer to make the play-off, while Retief Goosen, two in front overnight, dropped to fifth with a 75.
Stenson, winner by nine on 21 under last year, came from four behind to one in front thanks to an eagle on the 10th and birdies at the 13th, 15th and 17th, but there were also two bogey sixes on his card and he three-putted the last for a 69.
Allenby then moved in front with a 14-footer on the 17th before pushing his approach and failing to get up and down.
He had to make a five-footer to stay alive on the first extra hole and at the next saved his par after driving into sand.
Things started going wrong for Goosen when he left a bunker shot in the sand at the fifth hole and, like Stenson, he found the lake at the ninth and then took another six after a wild second shot to the 14th.
“I’m glad that’s over,” said Allenby on the tournament’s official website, www.nedbankgolfchallenge.co.za.
“After bogeying the 72nd I knew I had a second chance and my record in play-offs is pretty good.
“I did think we were going to be here all night at one stage, but once I saw Henrik hit it out right I knew he had a difficult shot.
“The only thing in my mind then was hitting my six-iron straight at the pin and I hit it absolutely perfectly.”
