PAMPLING ENDS DROUGHT IN PLAY-OFF

Rod Pampling won the Australian Masters today whenn he edged out Marcus Fraser at the third play-off hole at Huntingdale Golf Club after the two Australians had finished tied at the top of the final round leaderboard locked at 12 under par.

Victorian Fraser carded a superb final round seven-under-par 65, which included just one bogey, but thenso too did Pampling - despite missing birdie chances at his last three holes which would have sealed the win without the play-off.

While Fraser, 30, sat on the practice range preparing for the play-off, Queensland's Pampling, 39, had three opportunities to claim the victory in regulation but, after first missing a distinct chance at 16, pushed a six-foot birdie putt at 17 wide right and then, at the last, missed out again, this with a tough 25-footer for the championship, the ball drifted left of the hole.

Both players missed long birdie chances on the first trip down the 18th, which saw just one birdie today in regulation.

Fraser found the rough off the tee and sand with his second on the return trip down the 18th while Pampling found the middle of the fairway but saw his approach failed to clear a bank at the front of the green and rolled back onto the fringes.

After Fraser chipped to the back of the green, Pampling put the pressure on his opponent when he got to within a foot, but Fraser converted from 10 feet to ensure a third play-off hole.

Fraser again missed the green into the 18th and after putting past the hole up a steep hill at the back of the green, missed a par putt and was forced to settle for a bogey to open the door for Pampling.

Pampling grabbed his chance with both hands, claimed his first Aussie green jacket with a simple three-foot par putt to claim his maiden European Tour triumph and his first Australasian Tour victory since the 1999 Canon Challenge.

Joint overnight leader Robert Allenby, a two-time Masters champion, was in contention heading into the final holes at 11 under, but was forced to rescue a double-bogey five at the 15th as he holed a 20-foot putt after chipping out of a greenside bunker and finished alone in third at nine under after a 73.

South Africa's Tim Clark (67), Australia's Nathan Green (70) and Sweden's Alexander Noren (68) finished tied for fourth at eight under.

Australia's David McKenzie (68) finished seventh at seven under, while joint overnight leader Michael Sim finished seven shots off the pace following a 77.


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SWEDES CLINCH WORLD CUP CROWN

Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson combined to produce a scintillating performance in the final-round foursomes to capture the Omega Mission Hills World Cup for Sweden.

Although they did not lead in any of the previous rounds, Sweden gradually improved upon each performance before saving their best for last to card a superb nine-under-par 63 and comfortably secure a second-ever World Cup title for Sweden by three strokes.

The last time Sweden prevailed at the tournament was when Per-Ulrik Johansson and Anders Forsbrand won the trophy in 1991.

Spain, who had started the day tied for the lead alongside Australia, were unable to match their stunning nine-under 63 in second-round foursomes as Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal returned to the clubhouse at two-under 70 to finish in second place at 24 under overall.

Richard Green and Brendan Jones of Australia finished in a share of third place alongside Japan after a disappointing four-over-par 76 today for 18 under overall.

""I was starting to run out of tournaments, so it was nice to win this one. It has been a while," said Ryder Cup player Stenson, who despite enjoying a great season in 2008 had failed to secure any victories.

Sweden, featuring the tournament's highest-ranked players in Karlsson and Stenson, were four shots off the pace at the start of the final round today but quickly made their move up the leaderboard with five birdies in a flawless run on the front nine that saw them climb alongside Spain into a share of the lead at the turn.

They then added two in succession from the 11th before moving three clear when Stenson chipped in from the back of the green for a birdie at the 14th.

Sweden added one more on the 555-yard par-five 15th - the Olazabal course's signature hole - and then made par on the remaining holes to return to the clubhouse at 27 under overall.

They were left to wait for Spain to complete their round as Jimenez and Larrazabal approached the last needing to card an eagle to force a play-off.

However, Larrazabal sent his tee shot into a bunker and although Jimenez recovered well, Spain could only putt for a bogey and confirm a World Cup victory for Sweden.

England's Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher finished strongly as a five-under-par 67 today meant they finished in sixth place.

However, the resurgence came too late after disappointing scores in the first two rounds all but ended their chances of a World Cup victory.

"We should have had a chance to win this golf tournament. That's what we come here for," said a disappointed Poulter.

"It didn't happen on Thursday and Friday and that's just such a shame to be so far out of the picture."

Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell endured their worst round of the tournament for Ireland, carding a five-over 77 to drop to 16th while Scotland's Colin Montgomerie and Alastair Forsyth signed for a 72 today to finish seven under par overall, tied for 19th place.


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GREEN IN CONFIDENT MOOD

Richard Green warned Omega Mission Hill World Cup trophy rivals Spain not to take anything for granted after Australia put themselves into a share of the lead with a nine-under-par 63 in Saturday's third round fourballs.

Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal combined for a superb 63 of their own in second-round foursomes on Friday to move four strokes clear at the top of the leaderboard.

Their performance on Friday was so impressive that they could have been forgiven for already contemplating having their names etched onto the World Cup Roll of Honour.

However, the Australian duo of Green and Brendan Jones clearly had other ideas as they set about eating into that advantage from the first tee on Saturday.

Green shot two successive birdies from the second before Japan Tour regular Jones added three more before the turn.

Green then picked up shots on the par-five 11th and 14th but Australia still trailed Spain by three strokes heading onto the final few holes.

However, the turning point came on the par-five 15th where Jones shot an eagle three while Larrazabal bogeyed the same hole for Spain.

Jones then sank a birdie putt from three feet on the 18th to move Australia into a share of the lead alongside Spain with play switching back to foursomes for Sunday's final round.

"When I played the World Cup in 1998, I can remember there being a lot of fluctuations in score," said Green.

"It didn't really matter if you were three behind or four behind.

"The closing case today for us was the 15th hole, Brendan eagling the hole and Spain bogeying the hole; there's a three-shot swing straightaway, and that got us straight back into the game.

"That can happen at any stage during the round, especially tomorrow, when we are probably not as reliant on one another, but we are probably more putting a lot of trust in one another to hit good golf shots at the right time.

"I always knew that we could catch that up. I feel very good out there with Brendan as part of the team. We are very confident."

For Spain it was something of a tale of two teams having been in such fine fettle on Friday before producing a more mixed performance on Saturday.

It looked as though they would only increase their lead as Jimenez picked up a birdie on the par-four fourth and then shot an eagle two on the sixth before Larrazabal sank a birdie putt on the ninth.

However, they struggled somewhat coming home, managing just two birdies against one bogey.

But Larrazabal remains confident he and Jimenez can still engineer a first World Cup win for Spain in 24 years.

"The only difference is, it is golf," said the 2008 European Tour Rookie of the Year when asked what the difference was between their second and third rounds. "It was another day.

"In golf you can play great, shoot 63 in foursomes one day and then a 67 in fourballs another. That's golf.

"We can make tomorrow another 63."

Sweden, represented by the two highest-ranked players at the tournament in Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson, are third at 18 under after a 66 on Saturday while Germany are a further stroke behind in fourth place following their 68.

Ireland's Graeme McDowell and Paul McGinley maintained their impressive displays at the World Cup after a four-under 68 on Saturday left them on 15 under for the tournament while England's duo of Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher produced their best performance of the tournament so far, carding a 63 and are tied 12th.


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MASTERS EVENLY POISED

The master and his apprentice, Robert Allenby and Michael Sim, have a two-shot lead going into the final round of an enthralling 2008 Australian Masters at Huntingdale.

Chasing his third Masters title, Allenby landed a rare and precious albatross - only the third on the Australasian Tour in the past 20 years - en route to a five-under 67.

But alongside him at 10 under is his third-round playing partner Sim, the 24-year-old former world number one amateur who is finally starting to realise his potential after two years disrupted by stress fractures in his lower back.

Huntingdale member Ashley Hall sits alone in third place two shots off the pace following his 68 today, while Rod Pampling (70), Anthony Summers (71) and Englishman Steve Webster (70) are at seven under.

No less than seven players either held the lead outright or shared it during today's round including overnight leader Tim Clark who surrendered 28 places following his disappointing four-over 76.

While short on details, Allenby could recollect having scored albatrosses twice before, but never in a setting with so much at stake.

While the 35-year-old agreed his 223-metre three-wood second at the par-five seventh will be up there forever as a career highlight, he insisted it is the big picture that counts.

"The most important thing today was just to put myself in position," Allenby said.

"I did a lot of good things out there today so I'm pretty happy with my performance."

Sim's day did not start well - he bogeyed one and three and when Allenby's albatross dropped, the West Australian had slipped five behind his playing partner.

But Sim worked his way back into it with a hat-trick of birdies at six, seven and eight and began to believe that something special was happening when he dropped a 10-metre putt for eagle at the 555-metre par-five 14th.

"I just hit the ball solid today, a lot of fairways, a lot of greens and just gave myself a lot of opportunities," was Sim's simple summation of his round.

The stakes and the pressure will be ramped up when Sim and Allenby pair up again on Sunday for what Sim believes may develop into matchplay.

"You've just got to stick to your game plan," he said.

"It's the first time for me in a final group and that's going to be different.

"There's going to be people out there supporting Robert because he's from Victoria and I've just got to stay in the moment, stay within each shot and if it happens, it happens."

Allenby said he was primed and ready for the contest.

"They all want to take me on, that's the nature of the beast," h said.

"I think it's awesome that he is playing so well. He will be a great player.

"I'm excited for him and looking forward to the challenge that he throws out tomorrow."


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JIMENEZ EXPECTS LARRAZABAL TO SHINE

Miguel Angel Jimenez lavished praise upon compatriot Pablo Larrazabal after the duo shot Spain into the halfway lead at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup today.

Jimenez and Larrazabal appeared to provide the perfect foil for each other in foursomes as they produced an almost perfect performance in the second round to open up a four-stroke lead over Australia and Germany.

Having started the day two shots off the pace, the pair carded a nine-under-par 63 on the Olazabal course at Mission Hills Golf Club for a 17-under 127 total as Spain chase a fifth World Cup victory.

The pairing of Larrazabal and Jimenez blends youth and experience, a mixture that certainly appeared to pay dividends today with the only blot on their scorecard a bogey on the par-five 15th - the Olazabal course's signature hole.

Otherwise they were in fine form with Jimenez's 16-foot putt for eagle on the third and Larrazabal's long birdie putt at the 16th particular highlights.

And with Spain having produced golfing greats such as Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and current world number two Sergio Garcia, Jimenez admits he expects big things of 2008 European Tour Rookie of the Year Larrazabal.

"Pablo is nice and fresh," said the 44-year-old "He brings a breath of fresh air to the Tour.

"When people come in at this age and at the beginning of the Tour, they come in with a certain type of condition. Like you see Seve and Sergio and Ollie, you see all of these players, not only in Spain, they want to make things.

"And he's playing very well, he's hitting the ball very solid, and he hits very, very good irons on the greens.

"He has a very, very big future, and I like to play with a guy like him it's nice because it's always good to have a fresh eye."

With play returning to fourballs in tomorrow's third round, Spain could conceivably see their four-stroke lead quickly diminish.

Germany, who along with Australia are Spain's nearest challengers at 13 under, revelled in fourballs yesterday, carding a 10-under-par 62.

But, despite a solid start today in which they picked up a birdie on the second, Germany struggled along the rest of the front nine with Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka combining for two bogeys and just one birdie before the turn.

They improved coming home with three birdies in an otherwise flawless run to finish with a three under 69.

"We were just trying to survive today and not to lose too much ground," said Cejka.

"I think we can be pleased with a couple under today."

Pre-tournament favourites Sweden improved on their fourballs performance with a 67 today and lie in fourth place at 12 under while Ireland remain in contention a shot further behind alongside the United States.

"Four-under is a good day in foursomes," said Paul McGinley, who combined with team-mate Graeme McDowell for a 68 today.

"Spain have got out in front but we are right there and are in with a shout. We are going to have to play well again on the weekend."

Scotland's chances of staging a successful defence of the World Cup look bleak as Colin Montgomerie and Alastair Forsyth signed for a one-over-par 73 that leaves them 14 shots off the pace.

England's Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher combined for a 74 and are one-under-par overall while Bradley Dredge and Richard Johnson stuttered to a five over 77 that leaves Wales propping up the leaderboard.


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POULTER SITS ON FENCE OVER FALDO

Ian Poulter has offered lukewarm support to Nick Faldo following news that the six-time major winner is interested in retaining the European Ryder Cup captaincy for 2010.

"I wouldn't see it as a bad thing," Poulter said when asked whether Faldo deserved another crack after being in charge of this year's losing team in Kentucky.

"Nick, if he gets the position, would certainly learn from what happened this time and I'm sure he would do a few things differently.

"I'm sure he's made his own notes from how the week went. The good stuff, I'm sure he'll take positives from and the bad stuff, I'm sure he will learn if he could have done them any differently."

Poulter, who performed magnificently at the Ryder Cup, winning four of five matches on a losing team, declined to comment when asked for specifics about the mistakes Faldo made as captain.

"I'm only a player," he said. "I don't think it's to my advantage to comment on what he could have done better.

"I said before, I thought he did a good job. Unfortunately, the players didn't quite perform as good as maybe he would have liked."

Poulter's comments come in the wake of Faldo's revelation this week that he would "seriously consider" another crack at the captaincy if it was offered.

Europe has had a different captain in each of the past five Ryder Cups and a return by Faldo would bring that trend to a halt.

If there is one European player likely to support Faldo, it is Poulter, who was a controversial wild card choice despite displaying some mediocre form in the two weeks immediately before the team was picked.

But Poulter subsequently justified his selection with his stellar form at Valhalla.

Poulter was speaking after shooting the day's best score, a five-under-par 66 in the third round at the Dunlop Phoenix tournament at Phoenix Country Club.

The defending champion was seven strokes behind Thai leader Prayad Marksaeng with one round left.


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POULTER DRIVEN OUT

McILROY MAKES TOP 50 DEBUT

Nineteen-year-old Rory McIlroy has still made it into the world's top 50 for the first time despite his play-off defeat in the Hong Kong Open on Sunday.

McIlroy, a professional for only 14 months, suffered his second sudden death loss of the year, being beaten at the second extra hole by Taiwan's Lin Wen-tang.

The pair are now 50th and 51st on the rankings, separated by only 0.01pts, but if McIlroy, up 13 places from last week, remains in the top 50 at the end of next month he will earn himself a debut in The Masters at Augusta next April.

Latest leading positions:

1 Tiger Woods 13.48pts, 2 Sergio Garcia 8.48, 3 Phil Mickelson 7.79, 4 Padraig Harrington 7.39, 5 Vijay Singh 7.31, 6 Robert Karlsson 5.21, 7 Camilo Villegas 5.20, 8 Ernie Els 4.88, 9 Anthony Kim 4.78, 10 Lee Westwood 4.76

11 Jim Furyk 4.67, 12 Henrik Stenson 4.61, 13 Steve Stricker 4.35,

14 Geoff Ogilvy 4.27, 15 Stewart Cink 4.24, 16 KJ Choi 4.16, 17 Adam Scott 4.15, 18 Justin Rose 4.09, 19 Kenny Perry 3.84, 20 Miguel Angel Jimenez 3.66

Other leading Europeans:

24 Ian Poulter, 26 Martin Kaymer, 27 Luke Donald, 31 Graeme McDowell, 33 Ross Fisher, 37 Paul Casey, 41 Oliver Wilson, 44 Soren Hansen, 48 Soren Kjeldsen, 50 Rory McIlroy, 52 Peter Hanson, 57 Carl Pettersson, 61 Fredrik Jacobson, 64 Darren Clarke, 73 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 74 Nick Dougherty, 79 Francesco Molinari, 82 Anders Hansen, 83 Alvaro Quiros, 84 Peter Hedblom, 95 Niclas Fasth, 100 Paul McGinley.


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GERMANY LEAD THE WAY

Martin Kaymer is keen to turn the disappointment of narrowly missing out on a Ryder Cup debut earlier this year into a positive by leading Germany to World Cup success at Mission Hills this week.

The highly rated 23-year-old enjoyed a superb second season on the European Tour in 2008, securing victories at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and BMW International Open.

However, Kaymer fell just short of making the European Ryder Cup team as he finished 10th on the European points list to leave him one spot behind Oliver Wilson with the Englishman taking the last automatic berth.

But Kaymer still travelled with the European team after captain Nick Faldo decided to take the young German as a guest in order to experience the Ryder Cup first hand.

On Thursday Kaymer combined with playing partner Alex Cejka for a 10-under-par 62 in first-round fourballs at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, a score that puts Germany top of the leaderboard.

Play switches to foursomes format on Friday before alternating again in the final two rounds - and Kaymer is keen to use what he has learned from the Ryder Cup and help lead his country to a first World Cup trophy since Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siem triumphed in 2006.

"I learned a lot of things at the Ryder Cup," said Kaymer. "It was a different format there.

"That was match play, and here it's stroke play, and you can be aggressive in the best-ball, what we played today.

"But tomorrow is going to be different. I think every team event is different, and the Ryder Cup helped me in many ways.

"But it's very, very tough to say now what was the most important thing I learned or which helped me so much that we played well today."

Kaymer was in fine form from the first hole at a blustery Mission Hills Golf Club and reeled off three successive birdies before Cejka added another on the par-four fourth.

Kaymer then shot a superb eagle three on the seventh, holing a putt from over 65 feet before he picked up another shot on the ninth to ensure Germany reached the turn at seven under.

The 2007 European Tour Rookie of the Year added another two birdies coming home while Cejka weighed in with one more to ensure Germany hold a slender one-stroke advantage over Australia.

"We had a really good start today," added Kaymer. "We were seven-under after nine holes, and we kept playing well on the back nine and finished 10-under.

"It was a little bit tougher than last year, but I think we can be happy with 10-under."

Spain, the United States and Canada are tied third on eight under while a double-bogey on the last saw Ireland drop from second to tied sixth at seven under.

Despite the disappointing end to the day, Graeme McDowell believes the leaderboard will not properly take shape until after Friday's foursomes round.

"I think in better-ball format, no-one is really able to run away with it," said McDowell, who is representing Ireland alongside Paul McGinley.

"Foursomes is the key. We need to get out there tomorrow, play as solidly as we played today, knock it around a few under par, and keep ourselves well in the tournament."

Scotland's Colin Montgomerie and Alastair Forsyth, looking to stage a successful defence of the trophy, finished six shots off the pace after a 68 while England's Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher are a shot further behind, alongside the Welsh pair of Bradley Dredge and Richard Johnson.


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POULTER EXCITED BY FISHER PAIRING

Ian Poulter believes his pairing with Ross Fisher at this week's Omega Mission Hills World Cup has the strength required to bring England success.

Poulter returns to China having guided his country to fourth place in Shenzhen last year alongside Justin Rose while Fisher is making his England debut.

Both players head into the tournament on the back of impressive performances over the last year, with Poulter finishing as Europe's leading points scorer at the Ryder Cup in September while Fisher won The European Open in July on the way to a career-best sixth place on the European Tour's Order of Merit.

The opening round of the World Cup will be played in a fourball format while Friday is foursomes before it goes back to fourballs on Saturday with the final round on Sunday a foursomes.

And Poulter believes Fisher's ability to hit long off the tee, coupled with his own short game is capable of bringing England a first World Cup title since Paul Casey and Luke Donald combined to win it four years ago.

"I'm happy with my golf game right now and Ross has been playing exceptionally well," said Poulter.

"I like the way Ross plays. He hits the ball a long way off the tee, which I think is great in foursomes.

"The holes that I've looked at right now, certainly with some of the par fives, will be an advantage with Ross teeing off on those holes. I'm happy with hitting three-wood, five-wood into some of those holes.

"He is also an aggressive player and that's great in four balls. I think how straight he hits it is a big bonus in foursomes, as well.

"That's why when it come down to me to pick, I looked at Ross as a guy that's been very, very steady, and someone that hits the ball a long way; that's a great mix.

That's why I'm excited to be out there."

England's task will certainly not be easy, however, with a number of other strong contenders amongst the 28-team field.

Colin Montgomerie returns as he looks to stage a successful defence of the title he won 12 months ago for Scotland and is joined by Alastair Forsyth while 2008 European Tour Order Of Merit winner Robert Karlsson and world number 12 Henrik Stenson form a formidable partnership for Sweden.

"There's always going to be strong pairings in this format," added Poulter.

"There are obviously a couple which stand out, Sweden being one of them.

If you look at their world ranking position on paper, they are very, very strong.

"Robert (Karlsson) winning the Order of Merit and Henrik (Stenson) are going to be a very strong pairing.

"But there are a number of them.

I'm pretty confident that if we go out there and have fun this week, then we are going to be in the shake up on Sunday afternoon."

Fisher, meanwhile, admits he is 'honoured' to have been given the chance to represent England.

"I am very excited to be getting on with a guy like Ian and representing your country is a massive honour and massive thrill," he said.

"I am just looking forward to getting going and hopefully if I can bring in a few more shots, then who knows, we might finish a bit higher than last year."


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UPBEAT MONTY SEEKS SECOND CUP WIN

Colin Montgomerie hopes he can carry last week's good form into this week's Omega Mission Hills World Cup as Scotland look to stage a successful defence of the trophy.

Twelve months ago Montgomerie and Marc Warren defeated the United States pair of Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum in a play-off to claim a first World Cup title for Scotland.

The 45-year-old performed well at last week's UBS Hong Kong Open, where he was in contention for the vast majority of the tournament before a poor finish saw him end up tied 15th.

Montgomerie returns to Shenzhen this week with a different playing partner in Alastair Forsyth but is confident Scotland can be in contention once again come Sunday.

"I had a very good chance of winning last week," he said. "There was a putt that should have been in on the ninth but it lipped out.

"I'd have been two behind the lead with nine holes to go but it didn't go in and I bogeyed the 10th which is disappointing.

"So I had a very good chance of winning last week with 10 holes to go, that's a huge improvement from how it has been going.

"I enjoy this format.

Any team golf I tend to perform better in than I do on my own."

While Montgomerie may be happy with his recent form the same cannot be said for Forsyth.

The 32-year-old secured his second European Tour title in March at the Madeira Islands Open but has since endured a disappointing second half to the season which saw him drop out of the world's top 100.

Forsyth took drastic action last week in a bid to improve his golf by splitting with top coach Bob Torrance, and the Glaswegian hopes a solid performance could signal the start of a change in fortunes for the new season.

"You've just got to do what's right for yourself, and my golf has not been good enough," said Forsyth.

"It's nowhere near as good as I know it can be, and I've been trying to improve that and it has not happened.

"There will always come a time where you have the feeling that it's not going the direction that you want to go, and I had to look at a video of myself and I didn't like a few things.

"I felt it was time to work with someone else."

Scotland face a tough task in staging a successful defence with a number of other strong contenders amongst the 28-team field.

Most notable is the Swedish side with 2008 European Tour Order of Merit winner Robert Karlsson alongside world number 12 Henrik Stenson.

But the pair played down their favourites tag with Karlsson insisting anything could happen this week.

"We are the highest ranked players but there's only 28 teams, it's a team event, so a lot of things can happen," said Karlsson. "I'm definitely going to enjoy playing with Henrik and then we'll see what happens."

The four rounds will alternate between fourballs and foursomes, with tomorrow's opening round in fourballs.


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HONG KONG FINALE LIFTS DALY

John Daly is feeling positive about the future after shooting a stunning 62 on Sunday.

John Daly is feeling positive about the future after shooting a stunning 62 - one shot off the course record - at the Hong Kong Open on Sunday.

The two-time Major winner has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently.

He spent a night in a detention centre in the city of Winston-Salem in North Carolina last month after being found drunk and disorderly outside a Hooters restaurant.

Daly has struggled with alcoholism, health problems and also gambling during his career, and his world ranking recently slipped as low as 788th.

But the 42-year-old looked back to his sparkling best at the weekend as he shot eight birdies and no bogeys in the final round at the Hong Kong Golf Club to finish in joint 17th place with a nine-under 271 for the tournament.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Daly said: "I think I've made more money than I did all of last year on the US Tour, in one tournament! So you can tell where I've come from.

"I've come from close to Ground Zero all the way back up. But who knows? I've just got to keep working at it. Being healthy helps."

When asked about his round of 62 on the par-70 course, he added: "It just makes you feel good to have a number like that. I don't know what place I was in going into today but I know it wasn't great.

"It feels really good and it feels like, yeah, maybe I still can play a little bit."

Daly will be back in action in Melbourne this week at the Australian Masters.


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SERGIO'S THE PICK OF THE SHOTS

Sergio Garcia has won the European Tour Shot of the Month Award for October.

Playing at Club de Campo del Mediterraneo, the Spaniard's home course, he hit a second shot from a difficult lie, shaping it around trees and onto the eighth green for a birdie four.

The shot ensured Garcia was not caught on the final round and he went on to claim victory in the Castello Masters.

Second place went to England's Steve Webster, who chipped in from thick rough at the seventh hole on the last day of the Portugal Masters, while a deft chip from South African Charl Schwartzel in the final round of the Madrid Masters secured him third place.


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MONTY TO KEEP MAJOR HOPES ALIVE

Colin Montgomerie admits he is keen to continue playing for at least another seven years to keep alive his hopes of winning a Major.

The 45-year-old has come close on a number of occasions to breaking his Major duck but success has proved elusive.

Form is currently not on Montgomerie's side with the Scot having failed to finish inside the top 20 in his last 10 tournaments and he has dropped to 118th in the world rankings.

He is looking to improve that position this season and break back into the top 50. This weekend he is looking to win a tournament for the first time since July 2007 at the UBS Hong Kong Open.

"I'm outside the top 100 in the world for the first time ever," he said. "I've got to get back inside that top 100 in a hurry and then back inside the top 50 to compete on the world stage again.

"I'm exempt through to 2015 on this tour, and I would intend to be playing golf until that stage.

"If I can get back in that top 50 and remain there for the next six years, I'll be very happy."

Montgomerie won the UBS Hong Kong Open in 2005 and the eight-time Order of Merit winner says it is a tournament he enjoys.

"I like the golf course," he said. "I'm not the longest hitter on tour and, while I never was, I have control, and this is a course where you need control more than you need length or power. I prefer this type of golf nowadays.

"I like the Hong Kong Golf Club and I love the city. My wife is here with me and we're having a great time."


SABBATINI SET FOR HONG KONG
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McILROY ON TRACK FOR MASTERS

Rory McIlroy put himself in contention for a US Masters debut next April despite falling just short of securing a maiden European Tour win at the UBS Hong Kong Open.

The 19-year-old lost out in a dramatic play-off to Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei but his second-place finish alongside Italian Francesco Molinari moved him up to 50th in the world rankings.

Should McIlory remain in the top 50 at the end of next month he would earn himself a debut at The Masters at Augusta next year.

And the Northern Irishman insisted the defeat in Hong Kong is already behind him as he focuses on making a solid start to 2009.

"As long as I can keep putting myself in these positions and feeling the nerves and the adrenaline, I'll know I'm doing things right," said McIlroy, who failed to make the cut in Hong Kong last year in the first tournament of his rookie season on the European Tour.

"It puts me in a great position going into the new year and I have two events left in South Africa.

"If I don't win there, I'll hopefully win sometime next year. As long as I keep putting myself in these positions, I'll be able to pull through sooner or later."

McIlroy should not be disheartened with his performance on Sunday having climbed the leaderboard with a five-under-par 65 to enter a three-way play-off with Lin and Molinari.

Molinari could only par the first play-off hole on the par-four 18th while Lin and McIlroy both birdied meaning the two would face off again.

McIlroy sent his tee shot into a crowd of spectators to the left of the fairway but recovered well by hitting his approach shot onto the edge of the green.

Lin, meanwhile, hit the fairway from the tee before superbly hitting his second shot to within a foot of the pin. When McIlroy failed to putt for a birdie, the 34-year-old applied the easy finish to become the first Asian player in a decade to win the tournament.

"I thought I probably did enough to make three at the first play-off hole and I had an incredible shot for my second shot, but it just wasn't meant to be," added McIlroy.

"Obviously it's still been a great week for me. I'll look back on it, and I've played really well. I couldn't have done much more."


LIN TAKES HONG KONG TITLE
SABBATINI SET FOR HONG KONG
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FALDO WANTS ANOTHER CHANCE

Nick Faldo is keen to once again captain at the Ryder Cup despite coming under heavy criticism after leading Europe to their first defeat to the USA in nine years in September.

Europe lost by five points at Valhalla and Faldo was blamed for the defeat by some for a number of his decisions before and during the event.

Consequently, it is unlikely the 51-year-old will captain Europe at Celtic Manor in 2010 with the likes of Jose Maria Olazabal, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam emerging as favourites to take the role.

But Faldo, who is playing in his first European Tour event in a year at the UBS Hong Kong Open this week, insisted he relished the whole experience and would relish the opportunity to captain Europe again.

"I really enjoyed it," he said. "I loved the experience and I thought the team atmosphere was great. We all got on great and I loved that buzz.

"A month after I thought 'wow, I miss the guys'. I hadn't been in that situation for 11 years since my last Ryder Cup.

"It is such a special event and if something happens further down the road I will certainly think about."

Colin Montgomerie, who is also playing in Hong Kong this week, opposed the idea of Faldo returning and instead backed fellow Scot Lyle for the captaincy.

"I think it is a one-hit deal and I think it should remain that way," he said.

"I have nothing against anyone trying to do it twice but I just think it should be a one-deal and that is your go.

"It would be a shame if Sandy (Lyle) did miss out. I would personally like to see him involved."


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FALDO PREPARES FOR RETURN
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LIN TAKES HONG KONG TITLE

Chinese Taipei's Lin Wen-tang edged a thrilling play-off against Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy on Sunday to capture the UBS Hong Kong Open and secure his first victory on the European Tour.

The Asian Tour regular had failed to sink a birdie putt from six feet on the last during regulation to enter a three-way play-off with McIlroy and Francesco Molinari of Italy.

Molinari could only par the first play-off hole on the par-four 18th while Lin and McIlroy both birdied meaning the two would face off again..

McIlroy, 19, sent his tee shot into a crowd of spectators to the left of the fairway but recovered to send his approach shot onto the edge of the green.

Lin, meanwhile, hit the fairway from the tee before superbly hitting his second shot to within a foot of the pin and when McIlroy failed to putt for a birdie, the 34-year-old applied the easy finish to become the first Asian in a decade to win the tournament.

"To hit two tees in a play-off, you can't beat that," said McIlroy, who failed to make the cut in Hong Kong last year at the start of his first full season on the European Tour.

"It was not meant to be but it still has been a great week for me. I couldn't have done much more."

Lin, meanwhile, admitted he was unable to put into words exactly how much his first European Tour victory meant, with the win earning him almost Ј280, 000.

"I'm still smiling," he said. "This is my first European Tour win and my feelings cannot be described.

"With this win I can re-assure myself that what I am doing is right."

Lin had started the final round a stroke behind overnight leader Oliver Wilson but a three-under-par 67 today meant he finished at 15 under 265 for the tournament.

McIlroy and Molinari also finished 15 under overall after both shot 65s but take second place following their defeat in the play-off.

Pablo Larrazabal, the 2008 European Tour Rookie of the Year, shot a three-under-par 67 to finish in a share of fourth place alongside Chawalit Plaphol of Thailand, who carded 65.

There was heartache for Wilson once again, however, as the 28-year-old hit three successive bogeys from the 15th to drop to 12 under for the tournament and leave him still searching for a maiden European Tour victory.

The Englishman tied for sixth alongside German veteran Bernhard Langer, Malaysian Iain Steel, David Gleeson of Australia and South African Richard Sterne.

Graeme McDowell and Oliver Fisher were amongst a group of four a further stroke behind, while Colin Montgomerie's challenge faded as the round wore on and the Scot finished tied 15th at 10 under.

Lin, meanwhile, admitted he was unable to put into words exactly how much his first European Tour victory meant, with the win earning him almost Ј280, 000.

"I'm still smiling," he said. "This is my first European Tour win and my feelings cannot be described.

"With this win I can re-assure myself that what I am doing is right."

Lin had started the final round a stroke behind overnight leader Oliver Wilson but a three-under-par 67 today meant he finished at 15 under 265 for the tournament.

McIlroy and Molinari also finished 15 under overall after both shot 65s but take second place following their defeat in the play-off.

Pablo Larrazabal, the 2008 European Tour Rookie of the Year, shot a three-under-par 67 to finish in a share of fourth place alongside Chawalit Plaphol of Thailand, who carded 65.

There was heartache for Wilson once again, however, as the 28-year-old hit three successive bogeys from the 15th to drop to 12 under for the tournament and leave him still searching for a maiden European Tour victory.

The Englishman tied for sixth alongside German veteran Bernhard Langer, Malaysian Iain Steel, David Gleeson of Australia and South African Richard Sterne.

Graeme McDowell and Oliver Fisher were amongst a group of four a further stroke behind, while Colin Montgomerie's challenge faded as the round wore on and the Scot finished tied 15th at 10 under.

Collated final round scores & totals in the European Tour UBS Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling, Hong Kong

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 70):

265 Wen-Tang Lin (Tai) 65 69 64 67 (Wen-Tang Lin won at the second play-off hole) Francesco Molinari (Ita) 66 67 67 65, Rory McIlroy 70 64 66 65

267 Chawalit Plaphol (Tha) 66 66 70 65, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 69 67 64 67

268 Bernhard Langer (Ger) 69 67 63 69, David Gleeson (Aus) 72 65 65 66, Oliver Wilson 66 66 65 71, Iain Steel (Mal) 68 68 66 66, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 64 69 69 66

269 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 71 63 66 69, Graeme McDowell 71 68 65 65, Angelo Que (Phi) 68 68 67 66, Oliver Fisher 67 65 73 64

270 Colin Montgomerie 68 65 68 69, Wen-chong Liang (Chn) 64 71 69 66

271 John Daly (USA) 68 68 73 62, Wei Chih Lu (Tha) 70 69 64 68

272 Kyung-Tae Kim (Kor) 70 67 66 69, Bradley Dredge 69 70 65 68, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 71 68 66 67, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 70 70 66 66, Johan Edfors (Swe) 68 65 73 66

273 Peter Hanson (Swe) 67 70 69 67, Gareth Maybin 71 67 68 67, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 71 69 71 62, Ben Leong (Mal) 69 70 65 69, David Frost (Rsa) 69 68 67 69

274 Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 71 69 68 66, Taichiro Kiyota (Jpn) 72 67 70 65, Paul Lawrie 69 70 69 66, David Lynn 71 67 65 71, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 71 69 70 64

275 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 69 66 68 72, Antonio Lascuna (Phi) 70 70 66 69, Darren Beck (Aus) 68 69 69 69, Paul Waring 72 68 66 69, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 70 62 73 70, Mark Brown (USA) 70 70 66 69, Gavin Flint (Aus) 68 70 69 68, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 67 66 70 72

276 Tony Carolan (Aus) 70 67 72 67, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 67 72 67 70, Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha) 70 66 70 70, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 69 68 71 68, Mardan Mamat (Sin) 70 67 67 72, Sattaya Supupramai (Tha) 71 69 70 66

277 Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 69 70 68 70, Gaurav Ghei (Ind) 71 69 67 70, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 68 68 70 71, Taco Remkes (Ned) 69 70 69 69, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 70 67 73 67

278 Ter-Chang Wang (Tpe) 66 71 69 72, Frankie Minoza (Phi) 65 72 72 69, Anders Hansen (Den) 71 68 70 69, Zaw Moe (Kor) 72 68 70 68, David Horsey 70 70 71 67, Jean Van de velde (Fra) 73 67 70 68, Jamie Donaldson 75 63 72 68, Unho Park (Aus) 71 68 67 72, Paul McGinley 71 69 67 71, Wen Teh Lu (Tpe) 68 69 71 70

279 Anthony Wall 72 68 72 67, Artemio-hiromasa Murakami (Phi) 67 70 72 70, Phillip Archer 72 67 71 69, Scott Strange (Aus) 71 68 71 69, Chinarat Phadungsil (Tha) 67 71 70 71, David Bransdon (Aus) 70 68 70 71, Martin Rominger (Swi) 71 66 68 74

280 Anthony Kang (USA) 70 70 67 73, Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) 69 68 74 69, Juvic Pagunsan (Phi) 70 70 70 70, David Dixon 68 69 72 71, Joong Kyung Mo (Kor) 69 71 71 69

281 Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 70 70 74 67, Shun yat jason Hak (Hkg) 70 70 73 68

282 Marcus Both (Aus) 68 72 73 69, Wook-Soon Kang (Kor) 69 69 69 75, Jong Yul Suk (Kor) 70 69 74 69

283 Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 69 71 72

284 Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 71 69 71 73

288 Scott Drummond 68 70 76 74


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DUO SET THE PACE IN HONG KONG

Richard Sterne hopes his decision to take a more relaxed approach to the UBS Hong Kong Open can pay dividends and bring an end to an inconsistent year on the European Tour.

The 27-year-old South African could not have started 2008 better after capturing his third European Tour victory at the Joburg Open in January.

Sterne failed to carry momentum from that win into the rest of the year as he managed just one top-20 finish in 18 tournaments.

But he made a solid start to the new season with joint 20th at the HSBC Champions and on Thursday carded a six-under-par 64 to share the first-round lead in Hong Kong with China's Liang Wen-chong.

Sterne, who was introduced to golf by his grandmother at the age of four, hopes tweaks to his game will bear fruit come Sunday.

"I hit 10 greens a round on average last season," he said. "That is not quite ideal for scoring so I have made it tough.

"I have been driving the ball okay but you just can't compete when you are not hitting more than 13, 14 greens a round.

"Right now, I don't get too fazed anymore. I think I have found a few right things here and there. This is the first week I am trying it so we'll see what happens."

Liang, meanwhile, is hoping to become the first Asian player in a decade to win the tournament.

The 30-year-old was well placed to take the outright lead after seven birdies but then three-putted his last hole for a bogey.

"I will try to be patient over the next three days and just try to play my best," said the 2007 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner.

"The golf course is very short but the fairways are narrow and you have to be careful each day and each fairway."

Sterne and Liang are one shot ahead of Chinese Taipei's Lin Wen-tang and Frankie Minoza of the Philippines.

Oliver Wilson was the highest-placed Briton after carding a four-under-par 66 and the Ryder Cup star is feeling confident about securing an elusive first professional win.

"I feel like I know how to win around this course," said the 28-year-old, who lost a play-off to Ryder Cup team-mate Sergio Garcia in the HSBC Champions.

"I feel like I can get into contention. If I can stay up there all week then I feel like I am getting closer."

Two-time major winner John Daly almost completed an impressive round after the American approached the eighth - his 17th - at four under.

However, the 42-year-old carded successive bogeys to return to the clubhouse at two under.

"I'm not too disappointed, being a little rusty," said Daly. "I have not played in a month and I think under par in the first round is pretty good and I'll take it."

Colin Montgomerie also shot a 68 to keep himself in the hunt for a second Hong Kong victory in three years.

"It is a good course. Anything in the top 20 on the first day means we are doing okay," he said. "I'm looking forward to coming out tomorrow morning and getting a good round under my belt."

Nick Faldo, playing in his first professional tournament in over a year, finished two over par while Simon Griffiths hit a hole-in-one with a nine iron from 144 yards on the par-three 12th to earn himself a solid gold bar worth around Ј16,000.

Collated first round scores in the European Tour UBS Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling, Hong Kong

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 70):

64 Wen-chong Liang (Chn), Richard Sterne (Rsa)

65 Frankie Minoza (Phi), Wen-Tang Lin (Tai)

66 Francesco Molinari (Ita), Ter-Chang Wang (Tpe), Oliver Wilson, Chawalit Plaphol (Tha)

67 Peter Hanson (Swe), Mikko Ilonen (Fin), Rick Kulacz (Aus), Artemio-hiromasa Murakami (Phi), Chinarat Phadungsil (Tha), Oliver Fisher, Marcus Fraser (Aus)

68 Inn-choon Hwang (Kor), Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Wen Teh Lu (Tpe), Johan Edfors (Swe), John Daly (USA), Rahil Gangjee (Ind), Chapchai Nirat (Tha), Darren Beck (Aus), Colin Montgomerie, Scott Drummond, Chris Rodgers, Marcus Both (Aus), Iain Steel (Mal), David Dixon, Angelo Que (Phi), Gavin Flint (Aus)

69 Christian Cevaer (Fra), Bernhard Langer (Ger), Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Young-Woo Nam (Kor), Pelle Edberg (Swe), Ben Leong (Mal), David Frost (Rsa), Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa), Daniel Vancsik (Arg), Taco Remkes (Ned), Paul Lawrie, Wook-Soon Kang (Kor), Joong Kyung Mo (Kor), Bradley Dredge

70 Wei Chih Lu (Tha), Yasin Ali, Martin Erlandsson (Swe), Roderick De lacy staunton (Hkg), Simon Griffiths, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha), Kyung-Tae Kim (Kor), Anthony Kang (USA), Lee Slattery, Juvic Pagunsan (Phi), Scott Hend (Aus), Rory McIlroy, Shun yat jason Hak (Hkg), Jong Yul Suk (Kor), Antonio Lascuna (Phi), Airil Rizman (Mal), Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), David Horsey, Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Mark Brown (USA), Mardan Mamat (Sin), Tony Carolan (Aus), Amandeep Johl (Ind), David Bransdon (Aus), Peter O'Malley (Aus)

71 Anders Hansen (Den), Unho Park (Aus), Simon Dyson, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa), Daniel Chopra (Swe), Scott Barr (Aus), Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa), Niclas Fasth (Swe), Markus Brier (Aut), Sam Little, Keng-chi Lin (Tai), Sattaya Supupramai (Tha), Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Gaurav Ghei (Ind), Rory Sabbatini (Rsa), Michael Campbell (Nzl), Graeme McDowell, Gareth Maybin, Phillip Price, Scott Strange (Aus), David Lynn, Martin Rominger (Swi), Gary Simpson (Aus), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Paul McGinley, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind)

72 Nick Faldo, Zaw Moe (Kor), Mars Pucay (Phi), Anthony Wall, Michael Jonzon (Swe), Gregory Havret (Fra), Shiv Kapur (Ind), David Gleeson (Aus), Paul Waring, Lian-Wei Zhang (Chn), Chih-bing Lam (Sin), Paul Broadhurst, Taichiro Kiyota (Jpn), Phillip Archer, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), Mark Foster, Simon Hurd

73 Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den), Robert Rock, Stephen Scahill (Nzl), Jean Van de velde (Fra), Keith Horne (Rsa), Miles Tunnicliff, Adam Blyth (Aus), Digvijay Singh (Ind)

74 Steve Webster, Marcel Siem (Ger), Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind), Adam Groom (Aus), Simon Wakefield, Simon Khan, Prom Meesawat (Tha), Thammanoon Srirot (Tha), Arjun Atwal (Ind), Steven Lam (Hkg), David Freeman (Hkg)

75 Sung Lee (Kor), Jamie Donaldson, Matthew Mcbain (Aus)

76 Paul Riley, Richard Lee (Can)

78 Derek Fung (Hkg), James Stewart, Emanuele Canonica (Ita)

79 Jovick Lee (Hkg)


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SABBATINI SET FOR HONG KONG
FISHER AMONG HALFWAY LEADERS

CONFIDENCE BOOST FOR MONTY

Colin Montgomerie may have just had a season to forget on the European Tour but the Scot has started this season with renewed vigour as he looks to begin his ascent back up the world rankings at this week's UBS Hong Kong Open.

The 45-year-old has amassed an impressive 31 career titles over the last two decades but has seen his chances of adding to that diminish in recent times with his last European Tour victory coming in July 2007.

Montgomerie has, however, given himself a good chance of ending that barren run in Hong Kong this week after following up an opening-round two-under-par 68 with a 65 on Friday to put him only one shot off the lead.

Seeing his name high up on the leaderboard is something Montgomerie concedes he has not seen for a while and the Scot is hopeful of maintaining his form through the weekend in a bid to regain some lost confidence.

"It has been too long and it is nice to see it there," said Montgomerie, after carding six birdies and only one bogey at the Hong Kong Golf Club. "I'm 45 years old and I am just trying to gain some confidence.

"When I was winning in the 1990s on a regular basis I was confident of doing so but now I have lost my confidence.

"So getting two scores back-to-back in the 60s is good for me and I can gain some confidence from that and know I can achieve what I think I can."

Montgomerie could not be participating in a better tournament to get his season off to a strong start having experienced victory here three years ago.

Next week he will make the short trip to China as he looks to stage a successful defence of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup he won for Scotland alongside Marc Warren last year.

And Montgomerie is keen to end the year on a high in order to give himself a solid chance of improving on his current world ranking of 118th.

"I think people understand that this course (in Hong Kong) is more suited to my style of play," he added.

"This is a more shot-making and more accurate type of golf course, one of the shortest we play all year, so this is why I like this particular style of play, so there should be no surprise that my name is on the leaderboard to be honest.

"It is up there with the players that are playing well right now. It is good I can compete alongside them.

"It is very important I get this year off to a good start. The last few years I haven't and it is important to start well and feel good going into the Christmas break and come out again in Abu Dhabi feeling strong and confident."


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FISHER AMONG HALFWAY LEADERS

England's Oliver Fisher put himself in contention for a maiden European Tour victory as he moved into a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard in the UBS Hong Kong Open on Friday.

The 20-year-old started the day three shots behind overnight leaders Liang Wen-chong and Richard Sterne but carded a five-under-par 65 to join compatriot Oliver Wilson, South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen and Chawalit Plaphol of Thailand at eight under.

Fisher picked up birdies at the second, fourth and sixth and added two more coming home in a flawless display.

"I played really solid today,'' said Fisher. "I hit the ball well and hit a lot greens and took my chances. It was good.

"I'm in a good position going into the weekend and I will just go out there and enjoy it and have a good time.

"Everything is pretty good. I don't really have a weakness, it is all good.

"My whole game probably needs to improve a couple of notches to be challenging week in, week out.

"This is the start of my third season now, so it has gone quickly. I would say I've learned so much being out here.

"We are obviously competing against the top players week in, week out and the biggest thing that I've noticed when I've come out is consistency.

"The top players are so consistent week in and week out competing at the top of the leaderboard. That is obviously where I want to be as soon as I can.''

Also looking for his first win on the European Tour is Wilson, who lost out in a play-off to Sergio Garcia at the recent HSBC Champions.

Wilson carded six birdies and two bogeys for a second consecutive 66 and the Ryder Cup player said: "I'm obviously pretty happy with the first two days. It has gone according to plan so far."

Oosthuizen produced the best round of the tournament with eight birdies and no bogeys in a 62, his lowest score on the European Tour and just one shot outside the course record.

"I've been playing well for the last seven months really but I just can't get that final edge in," said Oosthuizen.

"I don't want to say it could have been more, but I played well. I hit 17 greens in regulation and I made some putts.

"So I'm hitting it well, I must say, and I've worked on my putting a bit the last five or six months, and it's finally getting a bit more consistent. I'm quite confident.''

Colin Montgomerie is looking to secure his second victory in Hong Kong and ensured he remains in contention with a 65 containing six birdies and one bogey.

That left the Scot in a five-strong group just one off the lead on seven under par.

"I feel very comfortable here," he said. "I won here before in 2005 and it is a place I feel comfortable with.

"I like the city and feel very safe here and it is amazing how one plays well in a place that you enjoy being in."

Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez narrowly avoided the cut after carding a 69 to lie at level par.

Teenage amateur Jason Hak became the youngest player to make the cut at a European Tour event after successive 70s ensured he made it through to the weekend.

The 14-year-old from Hong Kong beat the record set by current world number two Garcia by 107 days.

Collated second round scores & totals in the European Tour UBS Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling, Hong Kong

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 70):

132 Oliver Wilson 66 66, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 70 62, Chawalit Plaphol (Tha) 66 66, Oliver Fisher 67 65

133 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 66 67, Colin Montgomerie 68 65, Johan Edfors (Swe) 68 65, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 67 66, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 64 69

134 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 71 63, Rory McIlroy 70 64, Wen-Tang Lin (Tai) 65 69

135 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 69 66, Wen-chong Liang (Chn) 64 71

136 John Daly (USA) 68 68, Bernhard Langer (Ger) 69 67, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 68 68, Iain Steel (Mal) 68 68, Angelo Que (Phi) 68 68, Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha) 70 66, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 69 67

137 Frankie Minoza (Phi) 65 72, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 69 68, David Frost (Rsa) 69 68, Kyung-Tae Kim (Kor) 70 67, Wen Teh Lu (Tpe) 68 69, Peter Hanson (Swe) 67 70, Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) 69 68, Artemio-hiromasa Murakami (Phi) 67 70, Ter-Chang Wang (Tpe) 66 71, Darren Beck (Aus) 68 69, David Gleeson (Aus) 72 65, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 70 67, Martin Rominger (Swi) 71 66, Mardan Mamat (Sin) 70 67, Tony Carolan (Aus) 70 67, David Dixon 68 69

138 Gareth Maybin 71 67, Jamie Donaldson 75 63, Scott Drummond 68 70, Wook-Soon Kang (Kor) 69 69, Chinarat Phadungsil (Tha) 67 71, David Bransdon (Aus) 70 68, Gavin Flint (Aus) 68 70, David Lynn 71 67

139 Wei Chih Lu (Tha) 70 69, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 67 72, Graeme McDowell 71 68, Anders Hansen (Den) 71 68, Scott Strange (Aus) 71 68, Ben Leong (Mal) 69 70, Unho Park (Aus) 71 68, Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 69 70, Taichiro Kiyota (Jpn) 72 67, Taco Remkes (Ned) 69 70, Paul Lawrie 69 70, Phillip Archer 72 67, Jong Yul Suk (Kor) 70 69, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 71 68, Bradley Dredge 69 70

140 Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 70 70, Zaw Moe (Kor) 72 68, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 70 70, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 71 69, Anthony Kang (USA) 70 70, Anthony Wall 72 68, Juvic Pagunsan (Phi) 70 70, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 69, Shun yat jason Hak (Hkg) 70 70, Joong Kyung Mo (Kor) 69 71, Sattaya Supupramai (Tha) 71 69, Antonio Lascuna (Phi) 70 70, Gaurav Ghei (Ind) 71 69, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 71 69, David Horsey 70 70, Paul Waring 72 68, Mark Brown (USA) 70 70, Marcus Both (Aus) 68 72, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 71 69, Jean Van de velde (Fra) 73 67, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 71 69, Paul McGinley 71 69

Missed the cut:

141 Christian Cevaer (Fra) 69 72, Young-Woo Nam (Kor) 69 72, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 72 69, Mars Pucay (Phi) 72 69, Chris Rodgers 68 73, Scott Hend (Aus) 70 71, Rahil Gangjee (Ind) 68 73, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 68 73, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 70 71

142 Nick Faldo 72 70, Simon Dyson 71 71, Simon Khan 74 68, Paul Broadhurst 72 70, Lee Slattery 70 72, Sung Lee (Kor) 75 67, Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa) 71 71, Rick Kulacz (Aus) 67 75, Keith Horne (Rsa) 73 69, Richard Lee (Can) 76 66

143 Inn-choon Hwang (Kor) 68 75, Airil Rizman (Mal) 70 73, Phillip Price 71 72, Chih-bing Lam (Sin) 72 71, Scott Barr (Aus) 71 72, Arjun Atwal (Ind) 74 69, Sam Little 71 72, Gregory Havret (Fra) 72 71

144 Robert Rock 73 71, Stephen Scahill (Nzl) 73 71, Markus Brier (Aut) 71 73, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 73 71, Simon Griffiths 70 74, Simon Hurd 72 72

145 Gary Simpson (Aus) 71 74, Steve Webster 74 71, Amandeep Johl (Ind) 70 75, Marcel Siem (Ger) 74 71, Mark Foster 72 73, Simon Wakefield 74 71

146 Yasin Ali 70 76, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 72 74, Lian-Wei Zhang (Chn) 72 74, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 78 68, Keng-chi Lin (Tai) 71 75

147 Prom Meesawat (Tha) 74 73, Roderick De lacy staunton (Hkg) 70 77, Jovick Lee (Hkg) 79 68, Adam Groom (Aus) 74 73

148 Daniel Chopra (Swe) 71 77, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 72 76, Matthew Mcbain (Aus) 75 73, Steven Lam (Hkg) 74 74, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 74 74, Miles Tunnicliff 73 75, David Freeman (Hkg) 74 74

149 Thammanoon Srirot (Tha) 74 75, Adam Blyth (Aus) 73 76

150 Digvijay Singh (Ind) 73 77

151 Paul Riley 76 75

157 Derek Fung (Hkg) 78 79

161 James Stewart 78 83


SABBATINI SET FOR HONG KONG
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Joseph, Ndukwe out of Bengals lineup vs. Steelers
FALDO PREPARES FOR RETURN

MAX READY TO BE HADDEN'S LINKS MAN

Two years ago, Max Evans was a professional golfer in Portugal.

On Saturday, the Glasgow centre could complete a remarkable transformation to Test match star after being named on the bench for Scotland's final autumn international against Canada.

Evans began his career in rugby but a back injury in 2004 appeared to have curtailed his career.

But after two years outside the professional game, he decided to undergo the physiotherapy he needed to make a comeback.

The stocky centre has not looked back since and has enjoyed such a promising start to the current season that head coach Frank Hadden is ready to give him his big chance at Pittodrie.

"It would be excellent," said the 25-year-old. "If I get the ball in a bit of space, that's what I look forward to, that's what I thrive on.

"So whether I come on at 13 or have to slip onto the wing or wherever, I just can't wait to get that chance."

Evans has been in and around the senior squad before but it was his scintillating performance for Scotland A in Friday night's demolition of Georgia that ultimately got him the nod.

His performance at his home ground of Firhill included a breathtaking solo try and Evans admits he has watched a video of the touchdown more than once.

"It looked easier than it felt when I actually scored it," he said. "It didn't look that hard to get to the tryline but it was quite difficult at the time!"

In rugby terms, Evans has been living in the shadow of younger brother Thom, who made his Scotland debut during the summer tour to Argentina and retained his place for the two autumn Tests against New Zealand and South Africa.

But the wing has been left out of Saturday's team after suffering an injury against the Springboks.

"It's a shame Thom's not involved this weekend but I'm sure there'll come a day when we'll play together," said Evans, who is looking forward to his brother having to watch him for a change.

He said: "It's been two trips for me to watch him. It's been great watching him but any rugby player you talk to doesn't really enjoying watching a game you could be part of because you just want to be a part of it so badly.

"So it will be a bit of a role reversal for him coming to watch me this time."

Evans, who was a scratch golfer at his peak, revealed he plays off a four or five handicap now.

He may return to the game after hanging up his boots and is still an avid fan.

Indeed, on a recent visit to the venue for Saturday's match, he was captivated by some of the sights along the way.

"I got the train from Glasgow to Aberdeen and there was a golf course right on the side," he said.

"I also got to go past Carnoustie. I've seen that a million times on TV."

Evans admits he would prefer his debut to come at Murrayfield but is happy to pull on the Scotland jersey anywhere.

"Obviously, it would be great to play at Murrayfield for the first cap but I'm just so thrilled and honoured to be involved in any form of national game," he said.


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JIMENEZ MAKES CASE FOR THE DEFENCE

A well-rested Miguel Angel Jimenez believes he is in perfect shape to stage a successful defence of his UBS Hong Kong Open title this week and make a strong start to the Race to Dubai.

The Spaniard decided to sit out the HSBC Champions last week - the first event on the 2009 calendar - in order to recuperate from a tiring yet productive campaign on the European Tour.

Jimenez kicked off last season with victory in Hong Kong before securing a 15th career title at the BMW PGA Championship in May that ensured a return to the European Ryder Cup team.

The 44-year-old finished fourth on the Order of Merit, equalling his best finish to a season in two decades on the European Tour.

And after two weeks without lifting a golf club, Jimenez feels ready to return to the course where he won by a stroke last year.

"It has been a long season with many long trips and at the end of the year your body feels tired," he said.

"I took two weeks off after the Volvo Masters and decided not to play the week of Shanghai but take a week off to recharge the batteries and do what I needed to at home.

"Now it is my first tournament of the season for the Race to Dubai."

Jimenez's victory last year was his second in Hong Kong and he is now looking to become the first European to lift the trophy three times.

"This is a place I have always enjoyed coming to since my first time here in 2004, when I won," he added.

"This is a nice golf course, it is an old fashioned course where you need to hit the ball very well from the tee and place the ball well for the second shots.

"Also it is great to be in Hong Kong and always nice to be back, and I hope to be able to defend the title properly."

Jimenez is joined in Hong Kong by a stellar field that also features major winners Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Jon Daly and compatriot Jose Maria Olazabal.

Olazabal, 42, has been installed as one of the favourites to succeed Faldo as Europe's 2010 Ryder Cup captain.

The Spaniard was vice-captain during the five-point loss to the Americans in Valhalla in September but has hinted he would rather concentrate on playing than taking the main role in two years' time.

But Jimenez is confident the two-time Masters champion will captain Europe at some stage, although he expects Olazabal would prefer at least one more chance to be on the team as a player.

"He will be a future captain," said Jimenez. "We have been talking and he will maybe be the one after next.

"People like him, he is a great person, a great player and he will be a great captain when the time comes.

"First he would like to play again and that is the motivation for him."


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SABBATINI SET FOR HONG KONG

FALDO PREPARES FOR RETURN

Nick Faldo dusts off his golf clubs this week as he prepares for his first European Tour event in over a year at the UBS Hong Kong Open.

The 51-year-old Englishman has endured an eventful year off the course during which he suffered the disappointment of leading Europe to their first Ryder Cup defeat to the USA in nine years.

Faldo came under heavy criticism for some of his decision-making before and during the competition at Valhalla but the three-time Masters champion insists he has no regrets about the experience and is instead focused on playing when he tees off at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

"What's been said has been said, so we've moved on. We're two months on now," he said.

"I enjoyed it so much that week, it really was a great experience.

"If somewhere down the line there's another opportunity to be captain, I would seriously consider it."

Faldo has fond memories of Hong Kong having won the Johnnie Walker Classic here in 1990.

It is clearly a place he enjoys with his last competitive appearance coming at the UBS Hong Kong Open last year.

And Faldo stressed that although he does relish the rare opportunity to get out on the golf course, his regular playing days are firmly behind him.

"I don't miss it now," he added. "I've been in television now for four years, so I've come off the golf course.

"I'm 51, so I'm quite happy. I had my playing days, and I've moved on to do other things.

"I haven't played since last year competitively and I think I'm struggling to get 10 rounds of golf and probably 10 hours of practice.

"It's been a busy year this year obviously with television and Ryder Cup but I'm glad to be back out on the golf course for a bit of fun this week."

The UBS Hong Kong Open is the second-counting event for the European Tour's inaugural Race to Dubai.

The top 60 in the Race to Dubai qualify for the Dubai World Championship, which has a lucrative prize fund of $10million (Ј5.6million) and a first prize of $3.6million (Ј2million).

And Faldo believes it heralds an exhilarating new era for European golf.

"It is very exciting," he said. "I think this is the opportunity that's been created by America - we discussed a couple years ago at one of the meetings, America stopping their season in September.

"It's given Europe an opportunity from October, November and December to have a short window in the world of golf, and they have taken advantage of that.

"I think it should be a great event."


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SEVE OUT OF INTENSIVE CARE

Seve Ballesteros has been moved out of the intensive care unit at the Madrid hospital where he is being treated.

Ballesteros was diagnosed with a brain tumour at La Paz hospital, after losing consciousness at Madrid Airport early last month.

He underwent a lengthy operation on October 24 to reduce pressure on his brain, caused by an oedema, and to remove remaining tumour tissues following two previous operations.

Ballesteros was moved to the hospital's intensive care unit following the treatment, but the five-time major winner has now recovered enough to leave the unit.

A hospital statement read: "Severiano Ballesteros has left the intensive care unit and has now changed ward.

"Although this is good news, I would like to ask for everyone's patience - because the process is a lengthy one, and there is still a long way to go.

"He is continuing his recovery and is receiving visits."


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WOODS BACKS OLYMPICS BID

Tiger Woods, initially thought to be lukewarm on the idea of golf in the Olympics, was one of a number of top players who featured in a video aired when representatives of the International Golf Federation formally presented their case to the International Olympic Committee Programme Commission.

Making the presentation in Lausanne on Friday were Royal and Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson and US Tour executive Ty Votaw, executive director of the IGF Olympic Golf Committee.

Dawson stated: "Golf truly is an international sport, with 60million people playing the game in nearly 120 countries, and it continues to grow with new initiatives being implemented all over the world to teach the game to both young and old.

"We believe the time is right for golf to be brought back to the Olympic Games."

The video also featured women's world number one Lorena Ochoa, Phil Mickelson, Annika Sorenstam, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia.

"We felt it was critically important to show that many of the game's biggest stars are saying supportive and positive things about golf's bid," commented Votaw.

"We obviously believe there is a very compelling case as to why golf should become an Olympic sport and today was the first step in what essentially is a year-long process."

Golf, last included in 1904, will next submit responses in March to a detailed questionnaire that will constitute the formal and technical bid for the 2016 Games. The IGF's initial view is for 60-player fields for both men and women.

Both the host city - Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Chicago are competing - and selection of any new sports will be determined at the IOC session scheduled for next October in Copenhagen.

Also under consideration are baseball, karate, roller sports, rugby sevens, softball and squash. They also made half-hour presentations on Friday.


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SINGH ON THE RISE

Indian Jeev Milkha Singh is up from 60th to 46th in the world after pushing Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els into joint second place at the Barclays Singapore Open.

Harrington moves above Vijay Singh into fourth behind Tiger Woods, who has now held the top spot for 522 weeks in his career, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson.

Latest leading positions:

1 Tiger Woods 13.79pts, 2 Sergio Garcia 8.59, 3 Phil Mickelson 7.95, 4 Padraig Harrington 7.51, 5 Vijay Singh 7.44, 6 Robert Karlsson 5.27, 7 Camilo Villegas 5.25, 8 Ernie Els 5.01, 9 Anthony Kim 4.84, 10 Lee Westwood 4.83

11 Henrik Stenson 4.78, 12 Jim Furyk 4.77, 13 Steve Stricker 4.45, 14 Geoff Ogilvy 4.36, 15 Stewart Cink 4.32, 16 KJ Choi 4.25, 17 Adam Scott 4.24, 18 Justin Rose 4,10, 19 Kenny Perry 3.90, 20 Miguel Angel Jimenez 3.76

Other leading Europeans:

25 Ian Poulter, 26 Martin Kaymer, 27 Luke Donald, 33 Graeme McDowell, 34 Ross Fisher, 38 Paul Casey, 42 Oliver Wilson, 44 Soren Hansen, 48 Soren Kjeldsen, 50 Peter Hanson, 54 Carl Pettersson, 57 Fredrik Jacobson, 61 Darren Clarke, 63 Rory McIlroy, 71 Nick Dougherty, 74 Anders Hansen, 79 Alvaro Quiros, 80 Peter Hedblom, 82 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 86 Niclas Fasth, 94 Paul McGinley, 98 Gregory Havret, 99 Francesco Molinari


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LANGER REFUSES TO RULE OUT RYDER RETURN

Bernhard Langer has refused to distance himself from a possible return as European Ryder Cup captain but insisted he would only take the position if he were asked.

The German led Europe to a nine-point rout of the United States four years ago and received wide acclaim for the achievement.

Conversely, Nick Faldo came in for heavy criticism after Europe slumped their worst defeat in 27 years in Valhalla in September and is unlikely to remain in the position.

Jose Maria Olazabal is regarded as the favourite to take over the captaincy but even though he has spoken to Thomas Bjorn, chairman of the Tournament Players Committee, the Spaniard has yet to give a definite answer.

When asked whether he would like to return as captain, Langer said: "It depends. I haven't been asked and I think there are a lot of other guys who would like to be captain and have the chance.

"It is not what I want, it is who the committee decides and that is the right way.

"We learnt a lesson a few years ago when three or four were asking [to be captain] and you had a winner and loser.

"So we decided at that time it is not who is asking that gets the job but who the committee determines will make the best job.

"That is the best way to go about it."

Langer is making a rare appearance on the European Tour this week as he joins fellow major winners Faldo, John Daly and Olazabal at the UBS Hong Kong Open.

The 51-year-old, who won the tournament in 1991, has been playing well this year having finished top of the US Champions Tour Money List and winning the Casa Serena Open in his debut season on the Senior Tour.

"I have been healthy these last couple of years and playing good golf," added Langer. "I am very happy with my season,

"I had a very good year the year before and this year as well. It is brilliant to be with the old boys as we call them.

"The Champions Tour suits me very well. There are lots of guys my age and we can relate to each other, we are at the same stage in life.

"We play courses which are very good, a little shorter than the regular tour but in very good condition.

"We realise we are only going to be playing this game for a few more years and therefore enjoying it more."


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CASH BOOST FOR LAWRIE FOUNDATION

Paul Lawrie's golf foundation, which supports junior golf in the north-east of Scotland, has been given a Ј25,000 grant by the Royal and Ancient Club.

"I would never have won The Open at Carnoustie without putting in countless hours of practice," Lawrie said.

"I hope the Foundation will instil in these juniors a similar level of commitment in all aspects of their lives."

The R&A also supports junior programmes in Carnoustie and St Andrews and their director of golf development Duncan Weir stated: "Supporting junior golf here in Scotland, where we are based, is a key aspect of The R&A's work."


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SINGH LANDS SINGAPORE SPOILS

Jeev Milkha Singh was counting his blessings after claiming a thrilling one-stroke victory over Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els at the Barclays Singapore Open.

The Indian ace carried a narrow one-shot edge into the final hole in the Asian Tour event after a tense final round at Sentosa Golf Club's Serapong course but squandered his opportunity to secure the win when his 12-foot birdie attempt curled just past the hole.

But Harrington pushed his five-foot birdie attempt wide before Els saw his 15-footer stop on the edge of the cup, giving Singh the title.

"The way I'm going to record it is that I played very good but I think I was very fortunate the golfing gods were on my side," said Singh, who closed with a two-under-par 69 for a seven-under 277 total.

"I think those two guys (Harrington and Els) hit some good putts on the last hole and I was fortunate enough to win and I'll take it.

"I'm excited about it. I'm happy I could win against the top players of the world and this will give me a lot of confidence and hopefully go on to bigger things in life."

Singh and Harrington began the final round in a tie for seventh on five under but both managed three birdies on the front nine to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

With third round leader Chapchai Nirat of Thailand struggling, the tournament developed into a duel between the pair with the Indian edging ahead on the 16th after a moment of bad fortune for the Irishman.

Hitting from the rough, Harrington saw his approach shot pitch eight feet from the pin before rolling off the putting surface and into the water for a double bogey that put him one stroke behind Singh.

"That was a bad break for him," Singh said. "That happens in golf and I guess it's sad what happened."

Harrington, a winner of two majors this season, did not want to make too much of the costly hole, which resulted in his only dropped shots of they day.

"I had a couple of chances at the end but I wouldn't say that cost me," said the world number five, who fired a closing 70 to finish in a tie for second with Els on six under.

"I had a couple of good breaks earlier on and I was able to hold it together. The shot to 16 for the double bogey was unlucky and I hit a lovely shot into the last and I was six inches away from having a chance for eagle.

"I've holed some great putts at the right time this year. I'm not going to feel good about this one for the next couple of hours but when I look back at my year I won't find it too bad.

"I'm delighted for Jeev but I'll look back at my year and I am happy with it."

Els, who began the day a shot ahead of Singh, had a frustrating day with only one birdie, an 18-footer on the 16th, in his closing 71.

"The gods were not with me. They all looked like they were going in. The one on 17 just missed at the bottom left, the one on 15 was just over the edge," said the South African.

"It shows that golf is just a game of inches.

"It could have been a win but Jeev is a great guy and I'm happy for him."

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and David Gleeson of Australia carded 69s to finish tied for fourth on five under with Charlie Wi (72) a further shot back on four under.

Chapchai struggled to a closing 78 to finish in a tie for seventh with Thomas Bjorn (74) on three under, one shot ahead of world number three Phil Mickelson, who was alone in ninth on two under after a closing 75.

Victory in Asia's richest national open sent Singh to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit with over US 1.4 million in winnings, all but guaranteeing him his second Order of Merit title in three years.

"I won the Order of Merit in 2006 and if I can do it right now, it would be great.

"Winning any Order of Merit, anywhere in the world, especially in Asian Tour where I started from would be great.

"This Tour has given me a lot and if I can do it again, that would be fantastic."

Collated final-round scores (Par 71):

277 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 73 68 67 69

278 Padraig Harrington (Irl) 72 70 66 70, Ernie Els (Rsa) 66 70 71 71

279 David Gleeson (Aus) 72 67 71 69, Rory Mcilroy (NIrl) 70 68 72 69

280 Charlie Wi (Kor) 70 71 67 72

281 Thomas Bjorn (Den) 72 67 68 74, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 70 68 65 78

282 Phil Mickelson (USA) 73 68 66 75

283 Mitchell Brown (Aus) 70 70 71 72, Somkiat Srisanga (Tha) 71 71 70 71, Simon Dyson (Eng) 69 67 71 76

284 Ted Oh (Kor) 76 68 69 71, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 76 67 70 71, Kim Kyung-Tae (Kor) 69 75 67 73, Scott Strange (Aus) 71 71 69 73, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 71 69 69 75

285 Darren Clarke (NIrl) 73 71 71 70, James Kingston (Rsa) 72 71 71 71, Lam Chih Bing (Sin) 67 71 68 79

286 Shigeki Maruyama (Jpn) 72 68 71 75

287 Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 73 69 73 72, Gonzalo Fdz-Castano (Spa) 72 70 74 71, Ben Leong (Mal) 71 70 75 71, Dinesh Chand (Fij) 74 71 71 71, Adam Blyth (Aus) 72 70 71 74, Kodai Ichihara (Jpn) 73 73 71 70, Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha) 71 68 73 75, Gaurav Ghei (Ind) 74 71 66 76

288 Jason Knutzon (USA) 74 70 74 70

289 Shiv Kapur (Ind) 74 72 73 70

290 Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 75 69 72 74, Chris Rodgers (Eng) 70 71 73 76, Lu Wei-Chih (Tpe) 71 72 72 75, Liang Wen-Chong (Chn) 74 72 66 78, Danny Lee (Nzl) 74 69 70 77, Chan Yih-Shin (Tpe) 74 72 71 73, Nick O'hern (Aus) 73 72 73 72, Darren Beck (Aus) 73 72 73 72, Kim Nam-Kang (Kor) 75 71 73 71

291 Mardan Mamat (Sin) 75 69 73 74, Daniel Chopra (Swe) 69 71 72 79, Guido Van Der Valk (Ned) 74 65 73 79, S.S.P. Chowrasia (Ind) 70 76 75 70, Richard Moir (Aus) 70 76 75 70

292 Peter Fowler (Aus) 72 71 73 76, Markus Brier (Aut) 70 72 73 77, Neven Basic (Aus) 74 69 71 78, Zhang Lian-Wei (Chn) 70 73 75 74, Kane Webber (Aus) 73 71 74 74, Lu Wen-Teh (Tpe) 74 72 72 74

293 Park Jun-Won (Kor) 71 74 70 78, Noh Seung-Yul (Kor) 72 72 73 76, Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa) 73 72 72 76, Steven Tiley (Eng) 73 69 76 75, Jason King (Aus) 71 74 73 75, Marcus Both (Aus) 68 71 79 75

294 Oliver Wilson (Eng) 71 73 71 79, Scott Barr (Aus) 72 70 75 77, Artemio Murakami (Phi) 74 71 73 76, Digvijay Singh (Ind) 70 72 76 76, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha) 75 69 75 75

295 Keith Horne (Rsa) 69 75 74 77, Thammanoon Srirot (Tha) 74 71 73 77, Gavin Flint (Aus) 76 70 72 77, Han Lee (USA) 75 71 73 76, Muhammad Munir (Pak) 74 71 76 74

297 David Bransdon (Aus) 73 69 77 78, Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) 73 71 76 77

298 Young Nam (Kor) 73 71 77 77

299 Juvic Pagunsan (Phi) 72 74 77 76

304 Nick Redfern (Eng) 69 76 76 83


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