Fernandez-Castano wins Italian Open after big Sunday rally  MILAN, Italy -- Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano of Spain beat Markus Brier of Austria in a playoff Sunday to win the rain-shortened Telecom Italia Open.  Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano drank in the joy from his third European Tour victory. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
After finishing at 16-under 200 after 54 holes, the 26-year-old Fernandez-Castano sank a five-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole to win his third European Tour title. He also won the Dutch Open in 2005 and the Asian Open in 2006. Nick Dougherty (70), Henrik Nystrom (66), Fredrik Andersson Hed (64) and defending champion Francesco Molinari (65) were tied for third, one shot back. Fernandez-Castano started the final round five shots behind Andrew McLardy before getting five birdies and an eagle on the back nine at the Castello di Tolcinasco Golf and Country Club for a 7-under 65. Brier (68) qualified for the playoff with birdies at the first, second, fifth, 16th and 17th holes. He bogeyed the 6th. The tournament was reduced to 54 holes Saturday after more than 12 hours of play was lost because to bad weather. Dougherty, a protege of six-time major champion Nick Faldo, opened with an eagle and was three clear with nine holes to play, but bogeyed the 12th and 17th. McLardy could not improve on Saturday's 14-under total -- shooting 72 to finish in a four-way tie for seventh. Tom Lehman, last year's American Ryder Cup captain who was playing his first Italian Open on a special invitation, shot 70 to finish at 8 under. American compatriots Duffy Waldorf and Steve Jones, also invited to take part, were both 5 under. Worringly, Dougherty saw yet another title chance slip away. The 24-year-old from Liverpool, who led the Singapore Masters in March with three holes to play and then double bogeyed the 16th and 17th, was three clear at Tolcinsco with nine to go. But by coming home in a desperately disappointing 38 -- one of the worst back nines of the day -- he lost by one. "It's disappointing. I just played badly," said Dougherty. "The back nine I really struggled. I just didn't have the shots and just couldn't keep the ball in play. It was not there technically. "I think you learn from such experiences, though," he added. "I'll be back and hopefully I will be winning one of the big ones at home." There was no hint of the problems to come for Dougherty when he opened with a 25-foot eagle putt and went to the turn in a 4-under 32. But his driving had already started to become a little wayward by then, he also appeared to be suffering a neck strain and a horrible hook down the long 12th led to a bogey 6. Suddenly, he was only in a tie for the lead as Fernandez-Castano eagled the 15th after a 4-iron to six feet, then almost pitched in for eagle at the 17th. And after a par on the last for a 65, the Spaniard still did not expect it to be enough -- 18 under was the target he had set himself. "I'm sure Nick is going to make a couple of birdies. I'm sure he is going to win this," he said. But he was wrong. Dougherty salvaged a par on the long 15th after driving into water, but on the 17th drove into a bad lie, was short in two and lipped out from seven feet. Brier made it a three-way tie with birdies at the 16th and 17th before missing a 20-foot attempt for another on the 18th. Jeev Milkha Singh, meanwhile, missed out on the third place he needed to climb back into the world's top 50 and qualify for this week's PLAYERS Championship in Florida. The Volvo Masters champion, who a month ago became the first Indian to earn a place in the Masters, teed off tied for seventh, but came in only 26th after a 72. "I wanted to get in, but I'm not too disappointed because I've done a lot of travelling lately and it would have meant another long trip," said Singh, who began the week 54th in the rankings. France's Raphael Jacquelin could have qualified for Sawgrass as well by winning and when he posted his 65 he was in tied for second place. But he eventually wound up tied seventh on 14 under. Copyright 2007 Associated Press and PA Sport. All rights reserved. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network