Play-off drama earns Castano second title

The Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano won his second tournament on the European Tour after defeating Swedish star Henrik Stenson in a dramatic first-hole play-off to snatch victory at the BMW Asian Open in Shanghai.

The 25-year-old forced a title play-off when he struck one of the best shots of the tournament after sinking a 30-foot birdie putt on the 16th. This was after Stenson had found trouble on the same hole, which became the turning point on the last day of the event at the Tomson Golf Club.

The Spaniard finished ahead of Portugal's Jose-Filipe Lima and Scotland's Colin Montgomerie, who both finished joint third on six-under for the tournament. A shot further back in fifth place were English duo Paul Casey and Simon Dyson who ended on five-under-par.

Castano, who finished second in last week's Volvo China Open to continue his impressive form, also won last year's KLM Open in Holland.

Stenson would be kicking himself for practically handing the title to the young Spaniard after a treble bogey on the 14th derailed any real hope he had of snatching the silverware.

By winning his second title, Castano also became the youngest winner of the Asian Open since its inception in 2001, easily beating Padraig Harrington's record in 2003 at 31 years and 85 days.