MELBOURNE: Nick Cullen nervelessly struck a sublime bunker shot for a tap-in par putt on the last hole to win the Australian Masters by a stroke in Melbourne and frustrate Adam Scott’s bid for a hat-trick of titles yesterday.
Clinging to a one-stroke lead on the 18th, Cullen’s approach shot found a steep sand-trap left of the green, but the unheralded South Australian put his recovery within two feet of the hole to seal the biggest win of his career on a sun-drenched afternoon at Metropolitan Golf Club.
“I knew Adam was one shot back,” an ecstatic Cullen, wearing the winner’s ‘gold’ jacket, told reporters.
“I didn’t really want to have to go into a playoff with him... I got lucky hitting a great bunker shot on the last and didn’t have a very long putt. I was glad it wasn’t any longer because I was nervous enough over that.”
The bearded 30-year-old’s round of three-under 69 gave him a nine-under total of 279, one ahead of a trio of compatriots in World No 2 Scott (68), James Nitties (70) and Josh Younger (69).
After struggling with an opening round of 73 in searing northerly winds, Scott was forced to play catch-up all week and though he started four strokes adrift yesterday, he came agonisingly close to dragging Cullen into a playoff.
Bidding for a record third successive win in the A$1 million (RM2.9 million) tournament, Scott birdied the 12th, 14th and 17th holes to push to eight-under but his monster birdie putt on the par-four 18th lipped out to the groans of a packed gallery, giving Cullen, four groups behind, vital breathing space.
“It’s just hard. Some of the pins were really tough today. I made a couple of errors like probably most everyone did, and probably from where I was I needed to make none,” Scott told reporters.
American Boo Weekley shot a second successive 70 to finish five behind on tied 15th while former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy crashed to a three-over 75 to finish seven adrift.
Meanwhile, New Zealand teen Lydia Ko and American Stacy Lewis battled for a US$1 million (RM3.4 million) season bonus on Saturday but Paraguay’s Julieta Granada was the season-ending LPGA Tour Championship leader after 54 holes.
Granada fired a two-under par 70 in the third round at Tiburon Golf Club, in the United States, to stand on nine-under 207, one stroke ahead of Spain's Carlotta Ciganda and American Morgan Pressel with German Sandra Gal on 209 entering the final round of the 2014 campaign.
But the season points title and the bonus prize — twice the event's top prize — appeared set to come down to 17-year-old Seoul-born Kiwi Lydia and second-ranked Stacy, points leaders who could clinch the crown by winning the tournament. Agencies