Sergio Garcia's swashbuckling start to his professional career continued in high style as he snatched the German Masters title after a dramatic sudden-death play-off against Padraig Harrington and Ian Woosnam yesterday.
Brookline-style the 19-year-old Spaniard coaxed in a 25-footer for par to stay alive at the first extra hole after a tie on 277, 11 under par, after Ireland's Harrington, conqueror of Mark O'Meara in the Ryder Cup singles a week earlier, had chipped in for his four.
Woosnam, who missed a four foot putt to win his first tournament for over two years on the 72nd hole, was eliminated after the first play-off hole after taking a bogey five as Harrington and Garcia both made extraordinary pars.
Dubliner Harrington, who closed with a 67, had to take a penalty drop after finding water from the tee but chipped in from 30 feet for an unlikely four.
And just seconds later Garcia, who fired a last round error-free 68, rolled in a 20-foot putt for par after leaving his approach chip well short. Woosnam was still left with a sixfoot putt to stay alive but missed to leave Ryder Cup team-mates Harrington and Garcia to fight it out.
The duo went back to the 18th and Harrington this time found a fairway bunker off the tee but could not fashion another miraculous escape.
In typical fashion Garcia finished in style with a birdie three from 15 feet to make certain of a victory that takes him to second in the Order of Merit behind Colin Montgomerie after just nine events.
"After I missed my birdie putts on the 17th and 18th I thought it had gone," admitted Garcia, who won the Irish Open earlier this season in only his fourth professional appearance.
"There were two guys on 12 under and I thought one of them would make par but then Woosie missed and I had another chance and it's great to win my second tournament in my first season.
"My goals when I turned professional (after the Masters) were to get both my cards in Europe and America, to show Mark James that I was able to do something for him in the Ryder Cup and to win a tournament.
"Now I've won two so I have to win more ."
Garcia's start in the professional ranks has been nothing short of remarkable with victory at Druids Glen followed by second place at Loch Lomond and then finishing runner-up to Tiger Woods at the US PGA in Medinah.
Last week he won three and a half points on his Ryder Cup debut in Boston and although he confessed to feeling tired this week, revealed he had thrived under the pressure in America.
"I was really tired for the first couple of days because of the Ryder Cup but that gave me great things as well," Garcia added.
"It put me under a lot of pressure but you learn how to handle it and I think it showed in the play-off."
A play-off always looked likely as a handful of players squandered chances to win it in regular play.
Spanish veteran Jose Rivero bogeyed the last two holes to miss out by a shot at 10 under, overnight leader Peter Baker bogeyed the last to finish 10 under and Harrington also dropped a shot at the 18th to seemingly hand the title to Woosnam.
The 41-year-old Welshman could not reach the green in two after finding rough off the tee but chipped up to four feet only to miss and be forced into the play-off.
Harrington, one of only three Europeans to win a singles match at Brookline, was philosophical afterwards.
"I was expecting Sergio to hole the putt first time around and I expected him to do it again second time around," he said.
"It was a remarkable finish all round. I didn't think I'd won after I chipped, I never let myself think that, because I expected at least one of the guys to make a par.
"Obviously it's a little disappointing but good to be in a position to win. I hadn't played well all week and it was nice to shoot a good score in the last round.
"I got caught out on the 18th the first time round. They changed the tee box and I went into a bunker I wasn't even sure I could reach."
Harrington moved up to sixth in the Order of Merit with a cheque for £108,553 while Woosnam, who had a last round 69, moved up to 29th.
Garcia's second victory in nine European outings since turning professional in April, following July's Irish Open success, and his Stg£208,357 prize lifts him Stg£507 ahead of Lee Westwood into second place in the Volvo order of merit with Stg£819,987.
It leaves him Stg£436,192 behind Colin Montgomerie, seeking a seventh successive Vardon Trophy, the Scot having succumbed to postRyder Cup mental fatigue with two closing 72s to end the defence of his German title on 281 in joint ninth place.
Garcia's worldwide winnings since joining the paid ranks after the US Masters are rapidly approaching Stg£1m and with over Stg£4m still to play for - first prize in the WGC American Express event in Spain in November is Stg£650,000 - Montgomerie is not home and dry.
Garcia said: "To finish number one after playing only 11 tournaments would be very difficult - I will try my best but Monty is going to be playing in Spain as well and he's already won at Valderrama while I'm going there for my first tournament."
