SENIORS OPEN:Bruce Vaughan won the Senior British Open yesterday with a birdie on the first hole of a play-off against John Cook at Royal Troon Golf Club.
It marks the first major title for the 51-year-old Vaughan, who carded a one-under-par 70 in the final round en route to finishing at six-under-par 278.
The title wrapped up a surprising showing for Vaughan, who held a lead entering the weekend for the first time in his career when he carried a one-shot advantage into the third round.
However, Cook grabbed control of the tournament with a 67 on Saturday and a strong start to the final round.
Notching four birdies on the front nine, Cook led by three shots at the turn before everything went south for the American.
Looking for his first major title on the Champions Tour and first title since the ATT Championship in October, Cook began to fall apart with a double bogey on the par-four 11th and dropped another shot on the next hole.
Cook, a runner-up to Nick Faldo at the British Open in 1992, still had a chance to seal the title with a par on the 18th, but bogeyed to finish at even-par 71 and fall into a play-off.
Replaying the 18th in the play-off, Vaughan hit his drive down the fairway before knocking a six-iron to within 20 feet of the hole and cleanly knocked in the birdie.
Cook, whose second shot put him within 12 feet of the pin, sent his third just past the hole to the right.
Argentina's Eduardo Romero finished in third place a shot behind at five-under-par 279 following a 70. A two-time winner on the Champions Tour this year, Bernhard Langer was another shot back after signing for a 68.
Five-time British Open champion Tom Watson ended up in a tie for fifth at 282 with a closing 70. Watson was joined by Greg Norman and Gene Jones.
Mark McNulty, with a 72, and Eamonn Darcy, with 69, finished on six-over-par 290, while Denis O'Sullivan shot 75 for 295.
RUSSIAN OPEN:Sweden's Mikael Lundberg claimed his second Inteco Russian Open title in four years in Moscow.
Lundberg, winner in 2005, carded a closing round of 68 at Le Meridien Moscow Country Club for a 21-under-par total and a two-shot victory over Spain's Jose Manuel Lara.
England's Benn Barham birdied the last to finish third on 18 under, with Norway's Jan Are Larsen a shot further back in fourth. Jamie Moul, one off the lead overnight, could only manage a closing 73 to fall back into a tie for sixth.
Lara had moved into the lead with his eighth birdie of the day on the 14th, but promptly bogeyed the next after failing to make the most of a stroke of luck when his ball hit a spectator to prevent it running into the trees.
The 31-year-old then drew level with a birdie on the 17th and set the clubhouse target on 19 under with a round of 64, and it looked like Lundberg would also fall victim to the 15th.
After pulling his drive into the trees, Lundberg hit a tree with his recovery attempt and had to hack out down the fairway with his third shot, but then pitched to seven feet and holed for a vital par.
He then holed from 25ft for birdie on the 16th and from five feet for another birdie on the next to have the luxury of playing the last with a two-shot lead.
David Higgins shot a final round of 69 for a nine-under-par total of 279, while Gary Murphy signed off with a 72 for a 286 agregate.
EVIAN MASTERS:Helen Alfredsson claimed her third Evian Masters title with a birdie at the third extra hole of a sudden death play-off against South Korea's Na-Yeon Choi and Angela Park of Brazil yesterday.
The 43-year-old Swede birdied the par-five 18th hole to earn her 20th worldwide victory. Park was eliminated with a par at the first extra hole while Choi took five as she played the 18th for the fourth time in a row.
Last year's European Solheim Cup captain, Alfredsson came from four shots behind the overnight leader Park, posting a final round of five-under-par 67 for a 273, 15-under-par total. She birdied the last two holes in regulation to force the play-off.
CANADIAN OPEN:American Chez Reavie held a three-shot lead after 13 holes of the final round in the Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club, Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
Reavie, on 16 under par, led from Anthony Kim.
CHALLENGE TOUR: Michael McGeady continued Ireland's extraordinary run of golfing success this season with his maiden Challenge Tour victory at the SWALEC Wales Challenge.
On the back of Pádraig Harrington's recent British Open Championship triumph - which took the number of Irish wins on The European Tour to six - McGeady swept to victory following a dramatic play-off with overnight leader Joel Sjoholm of Sweden.
McGeady's round of 68 at a sun-kissed Vale Hotel, Golf and Spa Resort in Cardiff, Wales, saw him finish on four under par, which had looked like being good enough until Sjoholm birdied the 17th hole.
That ensured a play-off, which McGeady promptly won at the second extra hole after Sjoholm's par putt had drifted agonisingly past the cup.
The winner's cheque for €22,4000 saw the man from Derry leap 125 places up the Challenge Tour Rankings to 34th place, and put him in striking distance of a place on next season's European Tour.
McGeady said: "This win's massive for me - I'm absolutely delighted. Those four birdies in five holes on the back nine really got my round going, and from there on in I just tried to play steady golf because I knew four under would have a chance - and so it proved.
"It's a big relief for me, because my category didn't guarantee me entry into every event. But now I'm fully exempt for the rest of the year, which means I can pick and choose the tournaments I play in. So it's really set up my season.
"I'm going to relax at home for a couple of days, before getting ready for the Challenge of Ireland next week."
Sjoholm's runner-up spot earned him €15,400 and ensured the Swede a place at the Challenge of Ireland at Glasson next week, when he will be joined by home hope Gareth Maybin, who finished one shot further back in a tie for third with Sweden's Bjorn Pettersson.
A round of 67 - which equalled the course record - saw England's James Morrison claim a share of fifth place on two under par.
