Forsyth tastes Madeira victory
The 32-year-old from Glasgow, who did not make a single halfway cut in his first five starts of the year, fired a closing 67 to take full advantage of Otto’s worst round of the week.
Seeking his first European title — he was not even the holder of a full Tour card entering the tournament — Otto followed three opening rounds of 67 with only a level-par 72.
Forsyth, whose one previous victory came after a play-off with Australian Stephen Leaney in Malaysia six years ago, could have taken the first prize of €116,660 without the need for sudden death.
Seven birdies and two bogeys in his first 14 holes put him one ahead, but he bogeyed the short 17th, and then both he and Otto birdied the 386-yard 18th to tie on the 15-under-par mark of 273, four clear of England’s Gary Clark.
For Forsyth, it was the fourth time out of four that he had birdied the final hole during the tournament — and he then made it five out of five to capture the trophy.
Clark was the other member of the final group and his closing birdie was important too, putting him third on his own at 11 under. The 36-year-old Londoner’s best-ever finish on the circuit earned him €43,820.
Forsyth, pipped by Ian Poulter for the Tour’s Rookie of the Year award in 2000, has had 23 top-10 finishes since his first win, but this was the perfect way to put his nightmare start to 2008 behind him.
He returned home from events in Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Dubai, India and Malaysia without having picked up a single penny.
* The CA Championship in Miami is headed for a Monday finish, the result of a long weather delay.
Threatening weather caused play to be halted early in the final round with the leaders through just two holes at Doral Resort’s Blue Monster.
Competition resumed nearly three hours later but by then it was too late to have any hope of completing the round before darkness.
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