Golf: Brown lands Beijing payday after title chance fades

New Zealand golfer Mark Brown got the speed wobbles as he lost control of the China Open in Beijing last night.

Brown shelled strokes when he could least afford to before finishing in a tie for third at the US$2.2 million ($3.9 million) European Tour co-sanctioned tournament in the Chinese capital.

That meant a welcome injection of 52,000 ($121,438) euro to his pension fund after a flat spell since the start of the year.

Having started his final round in a tie for ninth, five shots behind the leader, 2007 New Zealand Open champion Richard Finch of England, Brown found himself atop the leaderboard leaving the 10th green. He posted four birdies on the front nine at the par-72 Beijing CBD International Golf Club.

While Finch melted in the high humidity, Brown, ranked 135th in the world, warmed to his task nicely before coughing up four shots in as many holes by bogeying the 11th ahead of a double bogey on 12 and another bogey at 14.

Suddenly he had slipped from the lead to a tie for sixth, but recomposed himself to birdie three of the last four holes to finish two shots back of the winner, Australian Scott Strange, who shot 68.

Brown was third alongside Strange's compatriot Ashley Hall, who shot 71 today, and Finch, 74, on six-under 282.

Between them and the winner was Spaniard Gonzalo Fdez-Castano, who birdied the last hole for a 72.

Brown, who bounded into contention courtesy of a hot seven-under 65 in the third round, earned his European card 12 months ago when winning the Johnnie Walker Classic in India, his second career title providing a springboard to launch his career beyond the confines of Asia.

It was a highly-encouraging performance from the 34-year-old, who had had a quiet start to this season, sitting 83rd on the tour's moneylist with income of 101,815 euro entering the Beijing tournament. His best result was 28th equal in the Portugal Open.

Another New Zealander, Perth-based Michael Long, closed with a 74 today to finish 67th-equal on 296.

- NZPA