Golf: Final hole costly for Campbell

New Zealander Michael Campbell suffered a late stumble but held on to finish in a share of third place in the Benson and Hedges International tournament in Sutton Coalfield yesterday.

Campbell bogeyed the 18th to drop a shot and card a closing round of two-under 70 to finish a couple of strokes behind the winner, Angel Cabrera, of Argentina.

Cabrera shot 69 to finish on 10-under 278, one stroke ahead of Englishman Barry Lane.

Campbell ended on 280 alongside Ireland's Padraig Harrington and Scot Colin Montgomerie.

It was Campbell's first outing after a four-week break, and he was excited to be part of the action on the last day.

"It was fun out there. It's a pity it didn't come off," Campbell said.

He pocketed €91,252 ($186,571) for his effort, which lifted him to 17th on the European order of merit with season's earnings of €265,066.

The par-four 18th had proven Campbell's undoing throughout the tournament. He bogeyed the hole in the second round, posted a triple bogey seven there on Sunday, and bogeyed it again yesterday.

"The 18th here is definitely not my favourite because I played 68 good holes over the tournament and it's screwed well and truly," Campbell said.

"It's just one of those things that happens. I came close and I am pretty excited I came close."

He now heads to Germany for the Deutsche Bank TPC of Europe, starting in Heidelberg on Friday.

It was at that event last year that Tiger Woods holed a shot from the fairway late in the final round to overhaul Campbell and relegate the New Zealander into second spot.

* Japanese golfer Shigeki Maruyama made history when he won the Byron Nelson Classic by two strokes in Irving, Texas, yesterday.

Maruyama became the first Asian player to win twice on the United States PGA Tour and he did it in style, closing with a two-under 68.

He finished on 14-under 266. American Ben Crane closed with a 65 to finish two shots back.

Maruyama, 32, collected US$864,000 ($1,932,886) for his second US tour victory, his previous win coming at the Greater Milwaukee Open last July.

The only other Asian winners are Japan's Isao Aoki (1983 Hawaiian Open), Taiwan's T. C. Chen (1987 Los Angeles Open) and South Korean K. J. Choi (last week's New Orleans Classic).

Phil Tataurangi was the best of the New Zealanders, closing with 71 to finish on 279, one shot ahead of Craig Perks, who shot 74.

Maruyama led throughout the final round, but it was not all smooth sailing. He pulled his second shot into the pond at the par-four 11th and had to work hard to salvage bogey.

- AGENCIES