Tim Clark stormed home with nine birdies to become only the third South African to win the 93rd Australian Open in a sudden-death playoff at Royal Sydney here on Sunday.
The 42nd-ranked golfer reeled off a closing five under 67 to squeeze into a playoff with Australian Mathew Goggin after New Zealander David Smail blew a three-stroke lead with four holes to play.
Goggin three-putted the first sudden-death hole, handing the diminutive South African his first win since the 2005 Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.
Clark, who turns 33 on Wednesday, joins legendary Gary Player and Bobby Locke as the only South Africans to win the Australian Open’s Stonehaven Cup.
Player was a seven-time winner of the Australian Open between 1958 to 1974 and Locke won the trophy in 1955.
Clark blazed around the course with seven birdies in his opening 13 holes but his hopes appeared dashed when he dropped three shots in consecutive holes, starting with a double bogey from the greenside bunker at the 13th.
But he steadied his game and holed two closing birdies to give him his unexpected chance.
Clark claimed victory with a gutsy sand-save on the first extra hole, forcing Goggin to make a testing two-metre putt to stay alive.
Goggin’s par-saving effort was unsuccessful and he was forced to settle as runner-up for the second-straight week after finishing behind Geoff Ogilvy in last weekend’s Australian PGA in Coolum.
”I didn’t even consider there would be a playoff until about 30 minutes after I finished,” Clark said.
”I was watching the golf on TV having a pie and chips, believe it or not, and thought I better get down there and warm up [for a playoff].
”It’s obviously a bonus to get into the playoff and I feel bad for David [Smail] the way he finished.
”Then in the playoff I won it like that too. It’s tough to win like that but at the end of the day, I’m the winner.”
Clark, whose claim to fame is holing out from a greenside bunker at the 72nd hole to finish second behind Phil Mickelson at the 2006 Augusta Masters, said he has felt more appreciated in Australia over
the past three weeks.
”In all honesty, I’ve felt more welcome here than I do when I go home,” said Clark, making his first tournament visit to Australia.
”People have been very excited for me to be here playing. I can feel the appreciation from the people around that I’m here playing and I don’t feel that when I’m at home.
”That’s probably why I came down here this year.”
Smail looked to have the Australian Open in his keeping when he led by three shots with four holes remaining, but he choked with consecutive double-bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes to finish on eight-under, one shot out of the playoff.
Smail finished with a three-over 75 to tie for third place with Australians Robert Allenby and halfway leader Stephen Dartnall on eight-under 280. – AFP
