Players' Championship of Europe: Sweden's Niclas Fasth yesterday won his second play-off on the European Tour this season to seal victory in the Deutsche Bank Championship in Hamburg.
Fasth, winner of the New Zealand Open in February in a play-off, defeated Argentina's Angel Cabrera on the third extra hole after the pair had finished tied on 14 under par.
It was a good day at Gut Kaden, too, for Ireland's Peter Lawrie, who finished with a 71 for 277 to claim a share of fifth place and bank a cheque for €109,230.
Former Ryder Cup player Fasth rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th to take the 550,000 first prize after Cabrera had missed from a similar distance.
Cabrera, winner of the BMW Championship at Wentworth in May, was denied the chance to go top of the Order of Merit as a result, but had the consolation of a cheque for 366,660.
"It's fantastic, by far my biggest victory," said Fasth, who finished second behind David Duval in the 2001 Open to secure his place on Europe's victorious Ryder Cup side at The Belfry.
"I really had to fight for it. I didn't have the greatest day. I was really struggling on the greens but I hung in and hung in and fought well to get the play-off. I was really proud.
"We played great in the play-off. It was more excitement than I needed but it was great of course."
With 36 holes being played yesterday owing to Thursday's wash-out, Cabrera looked like securing victory in regulation when he birdied the 15th, 16th and 17th to move three clear of the field.
But a poor approach to the last led to his only bogey of the day in a closing 67, and opened the door for the chasing pack.
Fasth took full advantage with birdies of his own on the 14th, 15th and 17th, and saved par superbly from a greenside bunker on the 18th to card a 68 and force extra holes.
The pair returned to the 18th and twice parred the tough 468-yard dogleg before firing in superb approaches that were so similar in length it required a tour official to determine which player was farthest away.
Cabrera's putt was never on line but Fasth made no mistake.
Former Open champion John Daly had stormed home in 30 with four birdies and an eagle in six holes from the 10th, but the American's superb 65 was only good enough for a share of third with Scot Stephen Gallacher (69) on 12 under.
Daly was left to rue a problem with his putter, which he noticed on the first hole of his opening round. An insert in the face of the club came loose but he was not allowed to change it during his round and struggled to an opening 74.
"If I could have putted it could have been different," said Daly, who fired the lowest round of the week with a 64 on Saturday.
"I had one chip in and four gimmes out there."
Germany's Bernhard Langer, with his 15-year-old son, Stefan, as his caddy, finished in a four-way tie for fifth on 11 under alongside England's Graeme Storm, Lawrie and Welshman Bradley Dredge.
Apart from Lawrie's fine showing it wasn't a great tournament from an Irish perspective.
Graeme McDowell was the next best Irishman, finishing on 284 after a final-round 73. Padraig Harrington did end with a 69 but his 286 total was only good enough for a share of 40th place. Paul McGinley ended on 288 and Damien McGrane on 292.
