Sweden's Niclas Fasth signed off with a dazzling 63 then beat England's Miles Tunnicliff in a play-off to win the Holden New Zealand Open at Gulf Harbour Country Club, Auckland. Fasth birdied the second extra hole to claim his second European Tour title after the pair had finished tied on 22 under par.
Australian duo Richard Green and Simon Nash shared third place on 18 under par while overnight leader Oliver Wilson of England, playing only his fifth tour event, carded a 74 but still finished in a creditable share of seventh place.
Fasth, 32, who played in The Ryder Cup in 2002, had victory within his grasp after Tunnicliff missed a short birdie putt on the 17th hole in regulation play, but the Englishman stayed calm to birdie the last to force sudden death with a closing round of 66.
The players then returned to the 18th to decide the title. Tunnicliff's approach on the first extra hole over-shot the green and struck a 12 year old female spectator on the head.
The Englishman's concentration was momentarily broken as the young girl was taken away for medical treatment but was conscious when Tunnicliff apologised to her.
"It wasn't nice seeing her put on a stretcher but they told me she was okay," Tunnicliff said.
After courteously ensured the well-being of the youngster, Tunnicliff re-grouped to get up and down from the rough for a par, Fasth missing from 18ft for birdie.
Both players found the green the second time around and after Tunnicliff had missed from long range, Fasth holed from 12ft for birdie to seal a second success to follow his Madeira Island Open win in 2000. He admitted: "It was a good performance to come from behind like that."
Fasth began the day four shots off the lead but birdied the second and fourth and eagled the sixth to climb to the top of the leaderboard. Tunnicliff drew level with his second birdie of the day on the eighth and from then on it developed into a two-horse race.
Birdies on the tenth and 11th briefly took Fasth two strokes clear but Tunnicliff then holed out from a bunker on the short par four 12th for an eagle two to draw level again. Fasth birdied the 17th to assume control of proceedings once again but Tunnicliff’s birdie on the last ensured that the contest went into extra time.
Green and Nash fired rounds of 68 and 67 respectively to fill third place while England’s Steve Webster, playing with a marker, rose with the larks to shatter the course record with a round of 62, ten under par, long before the leaders had set foot on the course. That finale lifted Webster from 79th into a share of 41st place.
