O’Sullivan shares second spot

DENIS O’SULLIVAN didn’t win, but a brilliant eight iron across water at the final hole, then a holed putt from five feet gave him the much-needed birdie for a tied second place yesterday in the De Vere PGA Seniors Championship.

O’Sullivan finished with a classy 67 for a 15-under aggregate of 273, two behind winner Bill Longmuir, and good enough to share second place with the current star of the European Seniors Tour, Englishman Carl Mason.

“I’m delighted with the way I finished,” said the Corkman, who won 25,095. “After hitting five birdies in the first seven holes I was really on a roll, but I had to wait for that putt on the 18th for my next one.

“And, believe me, I had four successive putts for birdie from the 10th and not one went in. But that’s the way it goes. Quite simply, I didn’t capitalise on a load of chances but, if I’d been given a 67 before I teed off, I’d have grabbed it.”

Longmuir, who turned 50 just over a month ago, has now won twice (his other was the Wales Senior Open), and is the youngest two-time winner since the tour was established 20 years ago.

Australia’s Adam Scott last night targeted a maiden major title after claiming his fourth European Tour victory in the Scandic Carlsberg Scandinavian Masters.

Scott carded a final-round 69 for an 11-under-par 277 in Malmo, two shots clear of England’s Nick Dougherty.

Dougherty birdied the last to avoid a four-way tie for second, the 18-foot putt worth £60,000 to the 21-year-old, with his Walker Cup team-mate Luke Donald, Scotland’s Andrew Coltart and Swede Robert Karlsson sharing third on eight under.

Scott collected the first prize of £225,000 and also made virtually sure of his place in the Presidents’ Cup team, the Ryder Cup-style contest between America and the Rest of the World minus Europe, which takes place in South Africa in November.

He had missed the cut in his previous three events since finishing eighth in the defence of his Scottish PGA Championship, but finally found a solution to the putting problems which had dogged him for two months.

And the 23-year-old goes into the final major of the year, the USPGA Championship at Oak Hill, seeking to do justice to his talents on the biggest stage.

“I feel I’m free to go there and just play,” said Scott, who missed the cut at the Open last month after a first-round 82 and whose best finish in a major is a tie for ninth in the US Masters last year.

“I don’t have any pressure on me and this takes a bit of weight off my shoulders. I can go there with nothing holding me back. I played the US Amateur there in 1998 and like the course, even though I lost in the first round.

“Look at what happened at the Open. Ben Curtis hung in there and got a score in the clubhouse that proved good enough. It’s just important for me to keep the positive vibes going with the putter.”

Scott did not have a single three-putt all week despite the greens not being of the highest quality.

Scott’s last two victories had come by winning margins of six and 10 shots, but he could not be certain of victory yesterday until bouncing back from a bogey on the 14th with consecutive birdies.