Golf: Davis records second win

MARK DAVIS, from Essex, produced a storming finish to shoot a course record of 64, eight under par, to win the Hohe Brucke Austrian Open for the second time in four years yesterday.

Davis, who finished with an 18-under-par aggregate of 270, began his final round four shots behind the overnight leader, the Irishman Philip Walton. He made up two strokes by the turn but was still two shots behind with five holes to play.

Then he struck with successive birdies at the 14th and 15th and followed up with a magnificent eagle three at the 568-yard 16th, where he hit a three-wood to three feet.

It gave Davis, 30, a two-shot lead but Walton was not completely finished. The Irishman hit back with birdies at the 16th and 17th to draw level but had a mishap at the last.

Walton, needing a birdie three for victory, tried to place his three-wood tee shot on the right of the fairway but sliced it out of bounds and finished with a double-bogey six to end on 272, two shots behind the winner.

The South African Retief Goosen was third on 273. Andrew Sherborne, who shared the lead after two holes of the final round, finished joint fourth on 275 with the Frenchman Michel Besanceney and Scotland's Andrew Coltart.

Davis's two successes here have been his only ones on the European Tour. 'I'm really pleased I've won again because when you have one tournament win people might think it's a fluke. When you have two they give you a little more respect. I've been playing really well recently.' Walton, at least, had one consolation. By winning pounds 27,770 he has moved well ahead of David Feherty, who did not compete, and Ronan Rafferty, who finished joint ninth on 278, in the contest for a place in the Irish Dunhill Cup team to play at St Andrews in October. The team will be selected after the English Open next week and Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Walton are the likely Irish combination.

AUSTRIAN OPEN (Waldviertel Golf Club, Haugschlag) Leading final scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 270 M Davis 68 69 69 64. 272 P Walton 68 65 69 70. 273 R Goosen (SA) 68 72 66 67. 275 A Coltart 72 69 68 66; M Besanceney (Fr) 69 68 69 69; A Sherborne 73 65 66 71. 277 P Mayo 71 68 69 69; H Thul (Ger) 69 69 69 70. 278 A Sorensen (Den) 73 69 69 67; D A Russell 70 72 69 67; G Ryall 68 71 70 69; R Rafferty 70 70 69 69; P Golding 66 74 68 70; A Cejka (Ger) 69 72 66 71; P Simpson 71 66 70 71. 279 C Moody 68 69 73 69; J McHenry 71 68 69 71. 280 S Jones (US) 73 71 70 66. 281 S Hamill 70 71 71 69; R Drummond 71 70 71 69; R Chapman 71 66 73 71; A Hare 67 73 70 71; I Pyman 71 70 75 65; B Barnes 68 72 68 73.

VOLVO EUROPEAN TOUR ORDER OF MERIT (GB or Irl unless stated): 1 J-M Olazabal (Sp) pounds 315,530; 2 C Montgomerie pounds 297,994; 3 B Langer (Ger) pounds 287,910; 4 M-A Jimenez (Sp) pounds 270,347; 5 M Roe pounds 267,227; 6 M McNulty (Zim) pounds 227,449; 7 E Els (SA) pounds 224,325; 8 N Faldo pounds 222,099; 9 S Ballesteros (Sp) pounds 218,898; 10 R Allenby (Aus) pounds 201,819; 11 H Clark pounds 193,358; 12 C Mason pounds 183,384; 13 P Mitchell pounds 179,373; 14 D Gilford pounds 162,081; 15 J Parnevik (Swe) pounds 159,133; 16 A Forsbrand (Swe) pounds 158,746; 17 J Lomas pounds 150,245; 18 V Singh (Fiji) pounds 143,550; 19 G Hjertstedt (Swe) pounds 136,355; 20 M James pounds 135,765.