The Age du lieu suivant : Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 44

SPO5ISMONDAYG0LF 1 TIC AGE 24 NOVEMBER 1997 Picture: STEVE CHRISTO ScotAtiarew Couari renews mat winning jeeung, cuncning me Australian rG uiampionsmp gusty conaitwns in syaney yesteraay nts first tournament win since me same event threeyears ago. WDDD (9DB3D DJDg By CHARLES HAPPELL, Sydney Shark won't take the Masters bait 26S 290 A COLTART (Scot) 72 71 66 76 8 Apptaby (Vic) 69 73 74 73 Allan (Vic) 69 71 74 75 Davanport (NZ) 72 71 72 75 Owl (NSW) 70 73 74 73 AHanby (Vic) 73 70 72 76 Ouapy (Fra) 72 71 77 72 Pataraon (NSW) 76 71 73 72. Diaz (Vic) 74 69 76 74 O'MaHay (NSW) 76 72 72 73 291 292 2M a vonran (nsw) 73 er it Spanca (Vic) 73 73 72 75 0 Small (NZ) 74 73 71 75 Kany (NSW) 73 75 70 75 Andaraon (CM) 75 69 81 66 Robinson (SA) 73 73 71 76 Hawaii (England) 75 69 72 77 PAOE 18: ft Allan, 24, who has an exciting future, was desperately unlucky early in his round, as putt after putt rimmed the hole. But after dropping five shots to par in nine holes in the middle of his round, he was able to birdie the 14th and 18th to claim a share of second place. "It's probably my best tournament so far," he said.

The result gave Allan automatic entry into the Australian Open this week and spared him the stress of pre-qualifying at Patterson River this morning. Allenby's tee-to-green play became ominously good as the week progressed. But his putting deteriorated at almost the same rate. "I thought if I could finish three or four under, I could maybe get into a playoff," Allenby said after a 76, which left him six shots adrift of Coltart. "But my putting today was atrocious.

It let me down all the way." A friend had one of Allenby's favorite putters mounted for him after he used it to win four tournaments, and it hung on a wall in his Patterson Lakes home. But Allenby took the Ping Ansa down this week and decided to use it on the slick greens at New South Wales a decision he was soon to rue. "I'll have to get a new putter," Allenby said. "I would have been better off putting with a stick on the last green. I should have got rid of it in the sixth, when I missed that three-foot putt for par.

I should have thrown it in the ocean. The fish would have had a better day with it than me. "It'll be lucky to come back with me an the plane, let alone get ot back up qn the wall." He needed 76 strokes to do it, but Andrew Coltart broke his three-year victory drought yesterday when, with dour Scottish persistence, he won his second Australian PGA Championship at New South Wales Golf Club. His final-round score on another brutal day at La Perouse was the highest by a winner on the Australasian. PGA Tour since New Zealander Barry Vivian staggered home with an 80 in the inaugural Australian Masters in 1979.

But it didn't matter a jot to Coltart, who stepped again into the winner's circle. It had been three years, almost to the day, since his last triumph as a professional and that was in the 1994 Australian PGA Championship. "I'm overwhelmed," he said. "It's been a long time and you really start doubting yourself. You think, 'Have you lost it? Why can't you His only moment of joy in that time came in 1995 when, teamed with Colin Montgomerie and Sam Torrance, Coltart helped Scotland take out the Dunhill Cup at St Andrews, winning all four of his matches.

Yesterday, he carried a five-shot cushion into the final day, knowing that he had everything to lose and his challengers, who included the Victorian trio of Stephen Allan, Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby, could Are away at the pins with impunity. Twice early in his round that buffer was whittled back to three shots first; by Allan, then by New Zealander PaujDevenportj -but the Scotsman By CHARLES HAPPEU, Sydney Six-time Australian Masters champion Greg Norman has declined an invitation to play in the Masters' 20th anniversary tournament in February, dampening organisers' plans for a whizz-bang birthday party. It had been hoped that Norman would be the event's centrepiece, around which the celebrations could be planned. All the champions since 1979, including American Mark O'Meara and Germany Bernhard Langer, had been invited to Huntingdale, and a tickertape parade had been mooted. But all that is likely to be scaled back following Norman's decision to by-pass the tournament and an appearance fee reportedly as high as $500,000 in favor of a trip to Asia where he will inspect several of his courses under construction.

The absence of the world No, 1 will mean tournament organisers have more money to try to lure Langer, the 1985 champion, to Melbourne. Already, O'Meara has said he will come, as have leading Australians Craig Parry, Peter Senior and Peter Loiiard. The Great White Shark was a surprise visitor to New South Wales Golf Club yesterday during the final round of the Australian PGA Championship, having arrived in Sydney at 6.30 am. He strolled around the course in shorts and deck shoes, minus socks, with a retinue that included his chief golf course designer Bob Harrison. The group walked down the vacant eighth fairway while, 50 metres away on the 12th, tournament leader Andrew Coltart battled away in the final group with Steve Allan.

The appearance of Harrison gave rise to speculation that Norman would be involved in the proposed redesign of the New South Wales GC course. But his minders insisted that it was the beauty of the lay-out, designed by the guru of course architecture, Dr Allster MacKenzie, that attracted Norman. The last time the Australian played the La Perouse course, it was in the company of United States president Bill Clinton 12 months ago. Norman, 42, will give a press conference this morning in Sydney before flying to Melbourne for the Australian Open, which, starts at Wtropolari in resolutely held on. His 76 gave him a three-under-par total of 285 and the distinction of being the only player in the field to finish under par.

Allan and the unflappable Appleby finished four shots back in joint second place. "I had it all to lose today and I was trying not to watch the scoreboard," Coltart said. "It was a hell of an experience and I learnt an awful lot from the day." But he was not the only player to struggle, as the wind blew at its strongest for the week. The best score among the leading six players was a one-over-par 73. Only three players from the field of 69 broke par and the average score was at least 76.

Now, for the second time, Coltart, 27, has his name inscribed on the Joe Kirkwood Cup, underneath some of the game's greats, including Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros and Gary Player. There was also the small matter of an finding its way MiW-his kick..