Valderrama (Spain), Nov 5 (IANS) India’s Jyoti Randhawa capped a wonderful season with a top 10 finish in the Volvo Masters of Europe here, while compatriot Jeev Milkha Singh ended his one-year reign as the defending champion tied for 25th place.
Randhawa (74) ended at seven-over 291 Sunday, while Jeev (76) was 16-over at the challenging Club de Golf.
Englishman Justin Rose came through a tough test of his own, winning in a three-way play-off with fellow Englishman Simon Dyson and Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen. The win also brought him the European Tour Order of Merit title.
Just getting into the play-off would have been enough for Rose to claim the Harry Vardon Trophy for Order or Merit, but the title made it doubly sweet.
Rose won the play-off with a 15-foot birdie on the tenth hole – the second sudden-death hole.
The three had finished on a one-under-par total of 283, two strokes better than Rose’s rivals for the Order of Merit crown, Irishman Padraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, who sprang into contention with an albatross two at the par-five 17th hole.
On a tough course, Randhawa held his head high with a fine performance.
He bogeyed the second, birdied the eighth, double bogeyed the ninth for a roller-coaster front nine of two-over 37. On the back nine, he had bogeys on 11th and 14th but birdied the 17th for 74. He picked up 84,800 euros for his effort.
Jeev had some catching up to do for a good finish and opened with birdies on first and third. Then from the sixth to ninth holes, he bogeyed three holes and birdied one to throw away the early advantage.
On the back nine, he had three bogeys and a double bogey between 10th and 15th as he dropped to 76. Still, he pocketed 38,800 euros.
The title race saw the trio make par on the first play-off hole, the 18th. Then Rose holed from 15 feet to capture the 666,660-euro first prize.
Rose, starting the day four strokes clear at four-under, moved to five under par by the turn and maintained his overnight lead.
Then came the struggle against the course and the weather. He had a double-bogey on the long 11th and he suddenly dropped four shots in five holes to card a 74 for the final round.
Kjeldsen, with a final round 67, might have won outright but for a bogey at the last while McDowell, after holing a seven iron from 186 yards, made a double bogey six at the 18th to miss out on a play-off spot.
Rose finished 448,708 euros better than Ernie Els of South Africa who missed the event as he opted to play in Singapore instead.
Rose’s victory saw him jump five places to seventh on the official world golf rankings. Harrington is now eighth.
The Irishman finally missed a five-foot birdie putt on the treacherous 17th and that ended his title hopes. He also failed to overtake Els on the Money List and finished third.