Golf: Jimenez birdies bonus

SPANIARD MIGUEL Angel Jimenez holed a magnificent chip over a bunker for a birdie two at the final hole to win the Lancome Trophy in sensational manner in Paris yesterday.

Jimenez, who shot 69 for a four rounds aggregate of 273, 11 under par, looked to have lost it when he dropped a shot at the 17th hole His bogey left him one behind America's David Duval and level with defending champion Mark O'Meara, all having one hole to play.

But the Spaniard had the advantage of playing behind his two opponent. While he waited on the tee at the 209 yards, 18th hole he saw Duval go into the water and O'Meara hit the grandstand on the other side.

Duval finished with a disastrous double bogey five and O'Meara dropped a shot so, with both Americans finishing on nine under par, Jimenez needed only a par three to win.

Yet this looked most unlikely when Jimenez followed O'Meara's example and went into the side of the grandstand. He was left with an awkward 30 yard chip over a bunker, but he hit it perfectly and it rolled straight into the hole to give him victory by two strokes.

Asked how he felt when his final tee shot went astray, Jimenez said: "I knew I still had a good chance of a three because I had plenty of green to work with.

"Then I hit a very solid chip just the way I wanted. When it bounced on the green I saw the line and thought to myself `Oh my God, it's going in'."