Garcia 'heartbroken' after Volvo Masters loss

Ian Poulter won a play-off with Sergio Garcia today to guarantee his season is remembered for more than funny trousers and a Ryder Cup cap.

For the second time in three years two cup team-mates tied for the season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama.

In 2002 it was Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer and they ended up sharing the title when the light ran out after four extra holes.

But on this occasion the 28-year-old Englishman won the €621,000 top prize with a par four as soon as they went into sudden death after finishing on the seven-under-par mark of 277.

Garcia’s drive finished to the right of the 18th fairway and left him needing to slice the ball. Unlike his famous shot from the base of a tree at the 1999 US PGA championship, however, he failed to do it and then, from the left-hand rough, duffed his pitch and was still not on the green.

The Spanish star and pre-tournament favourite, who won two play-offs in America this year, saved a bogey, but Poulter was just off the putting surface in two and chipped to within two feet of the flag.

There was a €206,900 difference between winning and losing the shoot-out, so no wonder Poulter was all smiles as two-year-old daughter Aimee-Leigh came running into his arms.

Although he became world famous with his Union Jack trousers at the Open in July and then an equally outrageous ‘Stars and Stripes’ version at the US PGA, Poulter had awarded himself only one out of 10 for his season’s work earlier in the tournament.

But after winning his sixth tour title, but first of 2004, he commented: “What a lovely end – a dream end. It turned out to be a great year.”

While Garcia, who had missed a birdie putt on the final hole, would have become Europe’s leading player in the world again with victory Poulter now moves back into the game’s top 50.

“It’s vital really,” he stated, fully aware that it guarantees invitations to the majors and world championships next year.

Third was Scot Alastair Forsyth, who was three in front overnight, but did not have a birdie in his closing 74 and could not recover from bogeying the 16th when the three of them were locked together.

Forsyth’s overnight lead disappeared in two holes. He failed to get up and down from short of the green both times, whereas Poulter sank a five-foot birdie putt on the second.

However, Poulter was soon in trouble himself. At the long fourth he had to play his second shot left-handed beside a tree and then he missed a four-footer to bogey the fifth as well.

Things turned his way again, though, with successive birdie putts of nine, 15 and 30 feet from the eighth and he would have gone two ahead but for three-putting for the long 11th for par.

Garcia had a chance to go joint leader on the sixth, only to three-putt from six feet, but he was back to only one behind when he birdied the 11th and 12th and Poulter’s bogey at the 13th brought about a three-way tie.

That became two when Forsyth drove into the trees at the 16th, tried to find a way through them to the green, but instead needed three more shots to make it and bogeyed.

Surprisingly, the long 17th did not settle things, all three parring – but only after Garcia had a lucky rebound out of the trees after carving his drive and Poulter having to play his third shot over the pond at knee-level after pushing his second into the crowd.

Once Garcia had missed his four-footer on the last and tapped in for par Forsyth had to birdie, but found sand by the green and left his recovery short.

Poulter’s approach finished 20 feet away and he had it to win, but misread it and the ball went well wide.

Nobody on the final day ran up the 11 suffered by Darren Clarke at the 17th on Friday – but New Zealander Michael Campbell and France’s Jean-Francois Remesy came close. They had 10s, Campbell in a round of 82 and Remesy in an 83.

Montgomerie was four under for the day coming to the hole, but although he avoided the water he went over the green like Poulter and took six. He finished with two bogeys for a 69 and three-over aggregate.

Garcia said: “It was heart-breaking, but what can you do? There can only be one winner – usually!

“I tried to hit a three-iron for my second (in the play-off), but there was a bit too much grass to make it cut as much as I had to.

“I did not see, but they were saying a little girl then picked it up and dropped it. No big deal. I gave myself chances to win, but the one on the last was not the best of putts.”

Forsyth commented: “Obviously I’m disappointed, but I hung in and was there the whole day. It just didn’t happen for me. The one bad shot was off the 16th tee.”