Local star Liang claims Nanshan Masters

Home favorite Liang Wenchong drained a 12-foot birdie putt on the fifth hole of a sudden-death playoff to pip Korean Yang Y.E. at OneAsia's $1 million Nanshan China Masters on Sunday.

Yang fired a two-under-par fourth-round 69 to overnight leader Liang's 73 to leave both at eight under for the tournament, and they then matched each other shot-for-shot as they played the 18th five times.

Neither player has won on any tour since claiming two OneAsia titles apiece in 2010, and for a while it looked as if Australian Aaron Townsend (72) might edge them both in a topsy-turvy final round.

But Townsend stuttered down the finish, and two bogeys in the last five holes saw him miss the playoff by a stroke.

"I'm very happy," Liang said after sinking his putt in fading light at the Nanshan International Golf Club's Danling course. "I have never been involved in something like this. Thanks to Y.E. for making it so exciting."

Yang, who won the 2009 PGA Championship to become the first Major winner from Asia, said he was disappointed his final-round charge didn't succeed, but said Liang was a worthy winner.

"I am a bit disappointed," he said. "It was very tiring to have to play five more holes, but Liang played good golf."

Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 US Open champion, was left to rue what might have been after a final-round 67 left him three shots off the pace in joint fourth place with Wang Jeun-hun of South Korea and Garrett Sapp, of the United States, who both closed with 69s.

"There were a lot of birdie opportunities, but I just didn't make as many as I could have," the South African said.

Liang, who earned about $180,000 for his fourth victory on OneAsia, held or shared the lead from round one but started with a bogey and then doubled the seventh after hitting his tee shot into a hazard, before clawing a shot back on the eighth. Yang had two birdies on the front nine, and Townsend a birdie and a bogey, to see all three players in the final group make the turn at eight under.

(China Daily 10/15/2012 page23)