Siem wins BMW Masters
Marcel Siem won the BMW Masters despite carding a one-over 73 in Sunday’s final round at the Lake Malaren Golf Club in Shanghai.
Siem finished tied for first on 16-under with England’s Ross Fisher and France’s Alexander Levy, but went on to chip in for a birdie in first hole of the play-off while Fisher and Levy could only make par.
The German told the European Tour website that nailing the shot under the pressure of a play-off makes his victory even sweeter.
“I thought the chip had to go in just to stay in the play-off, actually,” said Siem.
“I was expecting one of the guys to hole the putt – it’s just fantastic. A chip-in is always cool, but to have a in a play-off is even cooler.
“It’s a total different pressure when you are in a play-off because the worst scenario is tied second.
“So if you have a putt on the 72nd hole, which I had the putt to win, it was a lot more pressure than going down the last hole there. It’s fantastic. I love it.”
Siem shot a bogey-free three-under 33 on the front nine thanks to birdies on the first, seventh and eighth holes.
But his game disintegrated coming in, resulting in a solitary birdie on the 11th hole and bogeys on the tenth, 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th.
The 18th hole bogey could have been one of the most costly of Siem’s career had the play-off turned out differently.
He needed only to finish the hole on level-par to beat Levy and Fisher by a single shot to win by a single shot, but missed from six feet out before finishing with his 73rd stroke of the round.
Levy also finished over par and qualified for the play-offs on the strength of his first three rounds. The Frenchman carded 78 after shooting six bogeys, a double bogey and one birdie in the round.
Fisher made the play-offs after shooting a 67 thanks to six birdies and a bogey.
Both Levy and Fisher had opportunities to birdie the first hole of the play-off, the 18th but couldn’t convert.
They finished tied for second, while England’s Justin Rose and Welshman Jamie Donaldson finished on 15-under and tied for fourth.
The victory gives Siem his fourth ever European Tour title in his 331st event and makes him the first ever German to win the BMW Masters title.
Siem has also won the 2004 Dunhill Championship, 2012 Alstom Open de France and 2013 Trophée Hassan II.
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