EUROPEAN TOUR: For the fourth week out of five on the 2008 European Tour an unbelievable ending saw a tournament turn on its head. This time it was John Bickerton who profited as Ernie Els' extraordinary final hole collapse gifted him the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
In recent weeks Ross Fisher faltered to let Phil Mickelson win the HSBC Champions; Robert Karlsson stumbled to allow Miguel Angel Jiménez to claim the UBS Hong Kong Open; and Stuart Appleby stuttered to let compatriot Aaron Baddeley in to win the MasterCard Masters.
And it continued yesterday as the denouement of the Alfred Dunhill Championship topped the lot for shock value, leaving the crowds around the 18th green at Leopard Creek stunned into silence as Els was twice in the water on his way to a triple-bogey eight to hand the title and the € 158,500 first prize to an astonished Bickerton.
"I had no idea what was going on as I was outside the clubhouse packing up my things," said the Englishman who notched his third European Tour success - following the 2005 Abama Open de Canarias and the 2006 Open de France ALSTOM - his final round 68 for a 13 under par total of 275 good enough for a one shot victory over Els (73) and England's Lee Slattery (71).
Darren Clarke closed with a disappointing 75 for a one-under-par total of 287 while Stephen Browne shot 73 for a three-over-par total of 291.
AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Peter Lonard won his third Australian PGA title with a three-stroke victory over New Zealand's David Smail yesterday. Australia's Lonard, who has won the title three times since 2002, shot a superb seven-under-par 65 at the Hyatt Coolum course on Queensland's Sunshine Coast to finish on 20-under-par 268.
Smail, who shot a final round 68, finished on 271 while Greg Chalmers, Scott Laycock and Michael Sim were tied for third a further two shots back.
Lonard, who started one shot behind third-round leader Rory Sabbatini, birdied four of his first five holes and added three more birdies on the back nine.
ASIAN TOUR:In Bangkok, Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng won the Volvo Masters of Asia after a final-round three-under-par 69, for a total of 275.
Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines and England's Chris Rodgers were a shot behind.
LET TOUR:Gwladys Nocera from France claimed her fifth Women's European Tour title at the inaugural EMAAR-MGF Masters in India on Saturday.
From the first round, the 32-year-old from Moulins never relinquished her lead and she won with a total of seven-under-par 281 after a final round of 71, one-under-par - one ahead of Virginie-Lagoutte-Clement.
Rebecca Coakley finished on six-over-par 294 after a 72, Hazel Kavanagh shot 77 for 301 and Claire Coughlan a 74 for 304.
PGA TOUR: Longtime regular Mark Calcavecchia and rookie Woody Austin sealed their victory in the Merrill Lynch Shootout yesterday with a nine-under 63 in the final-round scramble to finish on 29 under. They edged tournament host Greg Norman and Bubba Watson by a shot at Tiburon GC, in Florida.
