ICHEON, South Korea — Australia's Brett Rumford survived a late wobble to win the Ballantine's Championship in dramatic style Sunday, hitting an eagle on the first extra hole to seal the win. Rumford blew a two-shot lead on the last two holes of regulation, double-bogeying the 17th and missing the fairway on the 18th before settling for par, leaving him tied at 11-under with Marcus Fraser and Peter Whiteford. But Rumford recovered his poise on the first extra hole, the par-five 18th, hitting a much better tee shot and landing his second shot just a few feet above the hole before securing a fourth European Tour title. Scotland's Whiteford, who had missed a relatively short birdie putt on the 18th to win in regulation at the par-72 Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, South Korea, and Australia's Fraser both birdied the first extra hole. Rumford started the final round in blistering form, picking up where he left off Saturday, when he hit five consecutive birdies at the end of the third round. Wielding a hot putter, the Australian started round four with two birdies and closed the front nine with four birdies in a row to make the turn in 30. He hit his first bogey of the day on the 13th but bounced back with a birdie on the 14th and appeared to be in control before the driver failed him on the 17th and 18th. Rumford thanked his coach, Pete Cowen, for helping him fix problems with his driver before the playoff. Rumford choked back tears as he thanked his wife, Sally, for her support. The win, his fourth on the European Tour and his first since 2007, came one day before her birthday. Noren, the overnight leader by one shot, stumbled to a final-round 74. He took a penalty stroke on the second when his ball moved as he addressed his par putt and double-bogeyed the 10th and 13th to drop out of contention. World No. 7 Louis Oosthuizen shot a 69 to finish at eight-under for the tournament, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour. Glover edges two ahead In New Orleans, overnight leader Lucas Glover, bidding for his fourth PGA Tour title, survived a back nine wobble to move two strokes clear after Saturday's third round of the Zurich Classic. At one point three ahead of the chasing pack, former US Open champion Glover bogeyed the 14th and 17th in breezy conditions before signing off in style with a two-putt birdie at the par-five last. In pursuit of his first PGA Tour victory in nearly two years, the 33-year-old carded a two-under-par 70 to post a 14-under total of 202 at the TPC Louisiana. “The wind picked up a little bit more than was forecast,” Glover told Golf Channel about the tougher conditions facing the late starters on a mainly overcast afternoon. Fellow Americans Kyle Stanley (65), Jimmy Walker (66), Billy Horschel (66) and D.A. Points (70) were tied for second at 12 under with burly compatriot Kevin Stadler a further stroke back after matching the day's best score with a nine-birdie 65. British world No. 4 Justin Rose, the highest-ranked player in the field, was five off the pace after returning a 70 with defending champion Jason Dufner a further shot back at eight under, after a 67. Twenty-eight players are within six strokes of the lead heading into Sunday's final round but Glover, who clinched his only major title at the 2009 US Open, remains in command. China's 14-year-old Guan Tianlang battled to a five-over 77 to finish at two-over 218, stone last in the 71-strong field. — Agencies
