Golf: Monster putt seals victory for Els in Hawaiian thriller

HONOLULU - In a thrilling battle that ended with an unlikely birdie, South Africa's Ernie Els outlasted 21-year-old Australian Aaron Baddeley in a playoff yesterday to win the Hawaii Open.

New Zealander Steve Alker, in his first PGA tournament, shot a final-round 67 to finish 33rd with a five-under 275.

Fellow Kiwi Craig Perks finished on 280.

Els became the first player in 14 years to win the first two PGA Tour events of the season, but unlike last week at Kapalua, the Big Easy had to work hard for this one.

He appeared to be a beaten man when he missed the 10th green (the second playoff hole) to the left and chipped through the green, some 16.5m from the hole.

Instead, Els rammed home the putt - just like Tiger Woods did to him three years ago at Kapalua - and won when Baddeley's six-metre birdie putt hung on the lip.

Els closed with a three-under 67, while Baddeley had a 69 as both finished at 16under 264.

"I thought the kid was going to go away, but he kept at me," Els said. "Unlucky for Aaron, but he's going to win a lot of titles."

With steely nerves and a game that belies his 21 years, Baddeley holed a three-metre birdie putt on the 18th hole to force the playoff, made another birdie from 1.5m to continue and was in much better shape than Els on No 10.

Els earned US$900,000, ($1,652,589), pushing him to US$1.9 million on the money list.

Steve Jones in 1989 was the last player to win the opening two events on tour.

Baddeley first rose to prominence as an 18-year-old amateur who beat countryman Greg Norman and Britain's Colin Montgomerie in the 1999 Australian Open.

Chris DiMarco had a 66 and finished third, while defending champion Jerry Kelly eagled the final hole for a 65 to tie for fourth with Robert Allenby (66).

Stuart Appleby had a seven-under 63, the best score of the tournament, to finish sixth.

* In Johannesburg, England's Mark Foster holed a 13-metre eagle putt at the second hole of a six-way sudden-death playoff to win the Dunhill Championship.

He carded a final-round 68 for a 15-under 273, which took him into the playoff - the first time since 1990 that six players had contested a playoff on the European Tour.

Dane Anders Hansen, Scotland's Paul Lawrie and Doug McGuigan, and South Africa's Trevor Immelman and Bradford Vaughan contested the extra holes.

Foster started the final round three shots off the lead held by Vaughan.

- AGENCIES