Chalmers wins dramatic play-off

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November 27, 2011

Greg Chalmers has claimed a back-to-back victory at the Australian PGA after winning the Australian Open two weeks ago.

A super-hot Greg Chalmers has claimed a back-to-back victory at the Australian PGA after winning the Australian Open two weeks ago.

But his victory at Coolum on Queensland’s Gold Coast didn’t come easily.

The seasoned West Australian had to beat overnight leader Marcus Fraser and fellow Australian Robert Allenby, a four time winner of the event, in a play-off in what has been seen as one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of the Tournament.

Chalmers, who posted rounds of 71, 69, 69 and a 5-under 67 to finish tied at 12-under ended a day of high drama with a regulation par at the first play-off hole after Fraser had found water with his drive and Allenby had inexplicably missed his par putt from just four metres.

Chalmers, maintaining the form that earned him his second Australian Open title at The Lakes in Sydney, was the first of the trio to get to 12 under thanks to birdies at the 16th and 17th holes.

But a few minutes later Allenby, a renowned play-off specialist with an 11-1 win record before Sunday, curled a six metre birdie into the hole to join him.

Fraser, who had missed a makeable birdie putt at the par-three 17th hole that would have lifted him to 12 under, now needed to birdie the last to get into the play-off and when his approach shot to the 18th green came up 20 metres short, he looked to be out of the race.

It was not to be

The huge gallery packed around the 18th green let out a great roar when Fraser’s monster putt rolled true and dropped into the cup with a last anguished roll.

“It looked like it sat there for three hours (before dropping),” a hugely relieved Fraser said before heading off with Allenby and Chalmers to the first play-off hole.

Kyung-Tae Kim, the 2011 President’s Cup campaigner who had led the third round after shooting back-to-back 67s, had an off day on Sunday, crashing down the leader board with a 76 that was nine shots worse than the scores he had posted on Friday and Saturday.

American Bubba Watson, another President Cup man playing again this week and a strong contender in the earlier rounds of the tournament, ran out of steam on Sunday, posting a 77 and falling back into 11th place.

Chalmers, a 38-year-old left hander now has a chance to complete Australian golf’s triple crown at next month’s Masters at the Victoria Golf Club, a feat previously only achieved by Allenby.

TOP 10 LEADERBOARD

276 Greg Chalmers 71 69 69 67 (Chalmers won at the first play-off hole), Robert Allenby 69 68 71 68, Marcus Fraser 68 65 74 69
278 Aaron Baddeley 67 72 67 72, Adam Scott 70 67 73 68
279 Marc Leishman 70 69 71 69, Nick O’Hern 72 69 71 67, Kyung-Tae Kim (Kor) 69 67 67 76
280 John Senden 73 64 72 71, Y.E. Yang (Kor) 69 68 70 73, Jason Day 69 69 72 70

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