Golf: Tataurangi makes late dash again

By Graham Skellern

New Zealand's Philip Tataurangi made his late-season move up the USPGA Tour order of merit - as he did last year - with his top-five finish for a cheque of $US103,333 ($198,720) in the Air Canada Championship near Vancouver yesterday.

Just one shot behind overnight leader American Fred Funk, Tataurangi was disappointed to shoot an even-par 71 and 12 under for the tournament to tie for fourth place - both golfers unable to match the final round winning exploits of Canadian Mike Weir.

"I played very well to get myself into position and I had a plan to carry it out today. I'm disappointed at not being able to do that. It was a mixed bag," said Tataurangi who at least got his year on the tough USPGA Tour back on track.

"Making the top 125 is an issue but winning is what I'm trying to accomplish. And I got a sniff of it today. I've been doing a lot of hard work on my game this year and it's just started to fall in place."

Tataurangi's Canadian winnings take his total earnings to $US163,141 ($313,730) from 22 tour events this season and from a lowly 203rd to around 160 on the moneylist - just 35 spots out of the top 125, the cut-off for full exempion on the tour next year.

Tataurangi was in a similar position this time last year and a late flourish, including being runner-up to David Duval at the Michelob Championship, saw him easily retain his playing card.

The Waikato-bred golfer is entering the remaining eight events to stay alive on the United States tour - including this week's Canadian Open in Toronto where he finished third two years ago.

Tataurangi and co were upstaged yesterday by the left-handed Weir who played the final pairing with Tiger Woods at the USPGA Championship. Weir holed his eight iron shot on the par-four 14th hole for eagle on his way to a 7-under 64 and 18 under for the tournament, taking home a cheque for $US450,000 ($865,385).

With the eagle, seven birdies (four in the first nine holes) and two bogeys in his dazzling final round, Weir became the first Canadian in 45 years to win a US tour event in Canada.

Funk birdied the 15th and 17th holes for a 3-under 68 to finish second two shots behind Weir, and Paraguayan Carlo Franco had a 69 for third at 14 under.

Tataurangi, who had birdies on the 10th and 12th, bogeyed the 13th and then dropped another crucial shot on the difficult 18th hole after again straying into a bunker. He tied with US Open champion Payne Stewart who birdied the last hole and Scott McCarron who had an amazing 10-under 61 with five birdies on each nine.

Meanwhile, New Zealand women's professional Marnie McGuire was also in a birdie mood yesterday. She fired eight of them, and no bogeys, for a superb 64 to head into this morning's final round of the LPGA's State Farm Rail Classic in Springfield, Illinois, four shots behind leader Janice Moodie, who is 12 under.

In Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland, Michael Campbell shot a final round 3-over 74, including five bogeys, and slipped down the Canon European Masters leaderboard to a tie for 15th at one under.

The tournament became a shoot-out between Englishman Lee Westwood and Dane Thomas Bjorn, with Westwood finally winning his third successive European PGA tour event by two shots.

Westwood finished with a 6-under 65 and 14 under for the tournament and Bjorn was second with a 66 and 12 under.