Sergio and Annika make it a Euro double

SERGIO GARCIA and Annika Sorenstam came up with a European double in America last night.

Garcia captured his first title of the season in the Booz Allen Classic at Congressional, playing the first 10 holes of his final round in a spectacular seven under par and then holding off Australian Adam Scott.

Sorenstam, meanwhile, stayed on course for a Grand Slam by claiming her third successive McDonald’s LPGA championship, adding it to the Kraft Nabisco she won in March.

Garcia, beaten in a play-off by Vijay Singh at the Wachovia Championship last month, will head into this week’s US Open at Pinehurst full of confidence after his sixth US Tour triumph.

Meanwhile, little-known Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano emulated his idol Seve Ballesteros by winning the KLM Open in Holland, two shots ahead of England’s Gary Emerson.

The 24-year-old from Madrid, ranked 421st in the world, claimed his maiden European Tour title in only his 16th event as a professional - becoming just the third rookie to win on the tour after Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia.

Trailing Emerson by one at the start of play, he shot a final-round 67 to finish 11 under at the tight Hilversumsche Golf Club to take the first prize of £168,000.

Ballesteros won the event three times (1976, 1980 and 1986) - the first when he was 19.

The two key holes on the front nine were the second and the ninth, where the Spaniard had two-shot swings go in his favour.

Fernandez-Castano bogeyed the first to give Emerson a lead of two. But at the par-four next, he holed a two-foot birdie putt to tie the lead after the Englishman bogeyed by overshooting the fairway despite playing an iron off the tee.

Fernandez-Castano produced a superb eagle at the third , his seven-iron approach from 161 yards landing straight in the hole for an eagle two to go 10 under.

A 12-foot birdie putt from the fringe lifted Emerson back to nine under, but two trips to the rough and a missed 15-footer saw him give that back at the next.

Fernandez-Castano holed a 40ft birdie putt and Emerson a 15-footer to go 11 and 10 under respectively.

The Spaniard managed a 25-foot putt to go to the turn in 31 at 12 under, and when Emerson missed a four-foot par effort the lead was three. It became four at the next after both missed the green, but Emerson failed to get up and down. Fernandez-Castano then holed a 20-foot putt to save par on the 11th and maintain his lead. Emerson chipped in for eagle at the 485-yard 12th to go to 10 under, and Fernandez-Castano three-putted for par to reduce the lead to two.

However, the Wimborne golfer carved his tee shot into the trees at the 14th and bogeyed. So did his partner, now 11 under, but Emerson then dropped another shot at the 16th to hand a three-shot lead back to the Spaniard. It was too much to overhaul, even at the par-five last, where the Spaniard parred and Emerson birdied.