EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS:AS IF 25 holes in the day were not enough, Lee Westwood had to go three more in fading light last night before failing in his bid to retain the British Masters at The Belfry.
On a thankfully fog-free final day the title went to Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano - a win that will probably stop Westwood returning to the world's top 10 after a gap of seven years.
Westwood was three clear with 10 to play, but was gradually reeled in by Fernandez-Castano.
They tied on the 12-under-par total of 276, Westwood finishing with a 70 to his opponent's 67, and after each in turn had made a 10-footer to stay alive, a par four at the next decided the €378,000 first prize.
Off much the better drive Westwood missed the green for the third time in a row and on this occasion left his chip 15 feet short and missed.
Westwood's €252,000 cheque still takes him from fourth to second on the European Order of Merit, but instead of being under €100,000 behind the leader, Pádraig Harrington, he trails by more than twice that much entering the last five weeks.
Westwood's Ryder Cup team-mate Graeme McDowell shot a 71 to finish down the field on 290, alongside fellow Ulsterman Rory McIlroy, who closed with a 76. Peter Lawrie ended on 296.
Last year's five-shot win in the same event remains Westwood's last success. He has now had 14 top 10s since then, including third place in the US Open in June.
It was 27-year-old Fernandez-Castano's fourth Tour victory - and takes his play-off record to a perfect 3-0.
Yet it was his first top-10 finish since the Wales Open at the start of June and he came into the week only 105th on the money list.
New Zealander Michael Campbell, joint leader with a round to go, finished third two strokes back.
Westwood and Campbell had moved clear of the field with sparkling finishes to their third rounds when play resumed at 8am. Campbell, having signed off with a birdie at the fifth in near-darkness on Saturday night, returned to make it four in a row and posted a 65.
But Westwood, whose round had begun with three bogeys, grabbed his second eagle in five holes thanks to a five-wood to four feet on the 538-yard third, then birdied the fifth and sixth for a 68.
They were both 10 under entering the closing 18 holes, with Jeev Milkha Singh and Fernandez-Castano next best on seven under.
Fernandez-Castano, soaked to the skin after being dumped in the lake by the final green by his fellow Spaniards and reappearing for a press conference draped in towels, said: "I think it's probably the best of my four wins. My season was not going very well and I was starting to get worried."
Final totals(Irish in bold, British unless stated, par 72): 276 - G Fdez-Castano (Spn) 71 70 68 67 (Castano won at third extra hole), L Westwood 68 70 68 70. 278 - M Campbell (Nzl) 69 72 65 72. 280 - M Lundberg (Swe) 67 75 68 70 282 - J Milkha Singh (Ind) 69 71 69 73, C Schwartzel (Rsa) 72 72 66 72. 283 - MA Carlsson (Swe) 73 70 68 72, R Fisher 71 68 71 73, L Oosthuizen (Rsa) 71 71 75 66. 284 - A Canizares (Spn) 71 68 72 73, M Jonzon (Swe) 70 71 72 71, P Larrazabal (Spn) 74 71 69 70. 285 - A Wall 71 74 70 70, A Noren (Swe) 72 66 75 72, T Bjorn (Den) 69 73 72 71. 286 - D Howell 71 71 77 67, P Lawrie 69 71 74 72, J Van de Velde (Fra) 72 74 66 74, M Fraser (Aus) 67 73 77 69. 287 - P Archer 73 68 77 69, R Echenique (Arg) 68 77 72 70, S Little 73 72 70 72, J Kamte (Rsa) 76 66 73 72, M Foster 72 72 73 70, B Dredge 72 74 71 70. 288 - S Walker 68 72 78 70, P Price 71 71 72 74, T Jaidee (Tha) 71 68 76 73, S Wakefield 70 74 73 71. 289 - P Hanson (Swe) 75 68 75 71, D Drysdale 75 71 69 74, A Hansen (Den) 68 78 69 74, D Dixon 69 72 76 72, S Kjeldsen (Den) 73 69 74 73, M Brier (Aut) 71 71 74 73, R Gonzalez (Arg) 77 70 73 69, G Owen 69 76 71 73, G Storm 70 73 73 73. 290 - Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 72 73 69 76, H Nystrom (Swe) 76 69 71 74, Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 72 75 72 71, M Lafeber (Ned) 75 72 71 72, D Lynn 71 71 77 71, P Broadhurst 70 73 72 75. 291 J Abbate (Arg) 73 71 78 69, C Cevaer (Fra) 73 73 72 73, M Erlandsson (Swe) 74 70 72 75, A Quiros (Spn) 75 72 75 69, J Edfors (Swe) 73 74 74 70. 292 J Lucquin (Fra) 71 72 71 78, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 70 73 75 74. 293 - F Molinari (Ita) 70 76 71 76, P Whiteford 71 75 75 72, P Hedblom (Swe) 75 72 76 70, Paul McGinley (Irl) 73 73 70 77 294 - M Ilonen (Fin) 69 76 74 75, M Warren 68 71 77 78, G Bourdy (Fra) 71 76 72 75. 295 - R Jan Derksen (Ned) 70 75 73 77, P Sjoland (Swe) 73 72 74 76, S Kapur (Ind) 72 71 78 74. 296 - A Forsyth 74 71 79 72, J Clement (Swi) 72 74 77 73, Peter Lawrie (Irl) 74 72 77 73, R Giles 71 75 76 74. 297 - D Horsey 72 75 79 71, J Donaldson 76 71 77 73 299 - S Dyson 72 75 77 75. 302 - M Siem (Ger) 75 72 75 80 303 - N Fasth (Swe) 72 72 82 77, G Havret (Fra) 71 76 81 75. 304 - S Drummond 74 73 81 76.
