The Hindu : Sport / Golf : Peter Lonard wins third in a row

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 06, 2004

Sport

Sport - Golf

Peter Lonard wins third in a row

COOLUM (AUSTRALIA), DEC. 5. Australian Peter Lonard won his third tournament in as many weeks on Sunday, shooting a seven-under-par 65 at the Australian PGA for a two-shot victory over third-round leader James Nitties.

Lonard fought a daylong battle with American Bob Estes and former amateur Nitties, an Australian who was playing in only his fourth professional tournament. Estes took the lead when he chipped in from the bunker on the par-4 10th, but Lonard pulled even with a birdie on the 12th.

Estes fell one behind when he bogeyed the par-3 11th, and Lonard, who came from five strokes back to win the Australian Open last week, birdied the tough par-4 16th to give him a two-shot cushion over the field.

Nitties, who had a one-shot lead over Estes after both the second and third rounds, finished with a 70. Estes also had a 70, including a bogey on the last, to finish in third, three shots back of Lonard.

Lonard, who trailed by three going into the final round, had problems on the 18th, hitting his tee shot into a fairway bunker that forced him to hit out sideways.

But his third shot on the par-4 hole went to four feet, enabling him to finish with a par and a four-round total of 18-under 270 on the par-72 Hyatt Regency resort course.

``I left myself about 100 (yards) and hit a good one in,'' Lonard said of his shot on 18. ``Whether it was luck or good management I'm not sure. But I got the ball into a lot of good places today and made the putts when I needed to.''

Lonard, who also made two shots from under trees that found the green during Sunday's round, also won the New South Wales Open on the secondary von Nida tour at Sydney two weeks ago.

Next target

He'll try to make it four in a row at next week's Australian Masters at Huntingdale in Melbourne, the final Australasian PGA tour event of 2004. Huntingdale was the site of Lonard's first of nine tour victories in 1997.

``I love the course and it has some special memories for me,'' said Lonard, who shared the Australian PGA title two years ago with Australian Jarrod Moseley when a sudden-death playoff here ended in darkness.

``The way I've been playing, I'll certainly give it my best shot.''

American Corey Pavin, the 1995 U.S. Open winner, finished tied for fourth on Sunday with Australian Nick O'Hern, Pavin after a 70 and O'Hern with a 67.

Pavin led by two shots after six holes but a run of seven pars on the back nine and a bogey on the 18th allowed the top three to pull away.

Nitties played in the final group with Estes for the second day in a row.

``I was nervous on Saturday, but felt I held it together pretty well today,'' said Nitties, 22. ``I'm happy with the way I played. I just didn't hole many putts.''

The leaderboard was tight all day, with 11 players within three shots of the lead midway through the round and five tied for the lead at one stage.

Defending champion Peter Senior's chances ended on the par-4 seventh when he had a quadruple bogey eight after hitting into hazard twice on the left side of the fairway. He finished tied for sixth with a 71, five shots back of Lonard.

Greg Norman completed one of his best performances of the year, shooting a final-round 70 for a 10-under total of 278, tied for 17th and eight back of Lonard.

``It's been a rewarding week for me,'' said Norman, whose disc problem in his back continues to bother him. ``I had some pain out there but I got through.''

Overcast skies and light winds made for favourable scoring conditions Sunday. Only 16 of the 64 who made the cut were over par at the end. — AP

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