Scotland's Sam Torrance completed a unique Irish double when he closed with a two under par 69 and then defeated America's Jerry Bruner, Chile's Guillermo Encina and Australia's Stewart Ginn on the second hole of a four-man play-off at the AIB Irish Seniors Open in association with Greenstar and Failte Ireland at Fota Island Golf Club in Cork.
The Scot won the Irish Open in both 1981 and 1995 and he claimed the Seniors Tour version in some style after hitting a glorious 150 yard wedge to within 14 feet of the flag on the second extra hole and then holed the eagle putt to end the challenge of Bruner who could only manage a birdie four.
Earlier, Encina and Ginn both dropped out on the first extra hole when they failed to match the birdies made by the other two.
Encina came to the 72nd hole with a one shot lead but hit his second into the water and failed to get up and down. That allowed Torrance, Bruner and Ginn to catch him and it was the former Ryder Cup captain who went on the claim the €63,000 (£43,227) first prize.
"I feel absolutely ecstatic," said the Scot before tucking into a celebratory pint of Guinness. "I have great memories of my two Irish Open victories and this is means just as much to me.
"However, I do feel very sorry for Guillermo," he added. "He seemed to be playing beautifully and didn't deserve to see his challenge end like that. That's golf, though, some days the Gods are with you and some days they're not."
Ginn, the winner of the 2002 Ford Senior Players' Championship on the US Championship Tour had earlier holes a magnificent 35-foot eagle putt on the 18th to earn his place in the play-off but one man who experience no such fortune was 2003 and 2004 Seniors Tour Order of Merit leader, Carl Mason, who led the field by two shots after 45 holes but then dropped six shots to par on the next three holes.
Mason's difficulties started when he drove into an unplayable lie in the trees and then hit his fourth shot into water on the 500 yard par five 10th. That cost him a ruinous triple bogey eight and he compounded the problem by dropping a further two shots to on the 168 yard par three 11th and another on the 428 yard par four 12th. In the end, the Englishman, the winner of the 2004 AIB Irish Seniors Open title, stumbled home in 73 to drop into a share of fifth place with Zimbabwe's Tony Johnstone and South Africa's Bobby Lincoln on five under par 208.
Lincoln also had more than his share of heartache. The overnight leader began with a birdie on the 525 yard par five fourth hole but was then given a one shot penalty on the ninth after his caddie dropped a towel on his ball. Ultimately, that was to cost him a place in the play-off and the chance to win his first European Seniors Tour title.
Further down the leaderboard, Canada's Bruce Heuchan closed with a 69 to finish ninth with England's Kevin Spurgeon on 209 while local Cork man, Denis O'Sullivan, tagged a 68 onto his first two rounds of 73 and 68 to tie for eleventh place with Gordon J. Brand on three under par 210. O'Sullivan goes into hospital tomorrow to allow surgeons to repair a damaged cartilage in his left knee but hopes to returns to action in two weeks' time at the FIRSTPLUS Wales Seniors Open at Vale Hotel Golf and Spa Resort..
Former Irish amateur international, Adrian Morrow, won the Joe Carr Memorial Trophy awarded to the leading amateur in the field. Morrow, from Portmarnock Golf Club, birdied the last hole to record a 74 and finish two shots ahead of compatriot, Garth McGimpsey, on ten over par 223.
Torrance's win in Ireland was his second on this year's European Tour, having previously won the Sharp Italian Open in Venice. It consolidates his place at the top of the Order of Merit with earnings of €98389 (£67,509). On Friday, he begins the defence of his Irvine Whitlock Seniors Classic at La Moye Gof Club in Jersey.
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