2006 flashback - Webber reigns in the Macau rain

It was wet and wild and at the end, Kane Webber was singing in the rain.

The Australian rookie broke through like sunshine for his maiden victory at the Macau Open, and it was especially sweet as it was achieved in only his second event on the Asian Tour.

The final round shootout at Macau Golf and Country Club was hit by incessant rain but all-weather Webber rose magnificently to the challenge, shooting a one-under-par 70 to claim a career-changing three stroke win.

As other stars including overnight leader Brad Kennedy and former PGA Championship winner Steve Elkington slipped, another Australian Scott Barr showed his liking once more for mystical Macau with a second runner-up finish in three years.

Webber’s triumph signified his wonderful potential as the 25-year-old had only a week earlier claimed fifth place at the inaugural Aamby Valley Asian Masters in India.

“It has not sunk in…right now I am out of words,” said Webber, who totaled nine-under-par 275 for the week. “I made a lot of up and down for pars to get out of trouble and that was the key for me. I made great pars and stuck in there.

“You have to come in and expect to win. I came here thinking that I could win after how I played at the Aamby Valley and I kept it going. So it’s good, I'm very happy.”

Kennedy, back in Asia after losing his card on the European, set the early pace and opened up a three-shot lead going into the last round. But the man behind the shades suffered a closing 77 which dropped him to tied third place alongside South African Peter Karmis.

Webber revelled in the rain with two early birdies against an equal number of bogeys. He closed out victory in style on the 18th hole, nailing a six-foot putt for birdie after an exquisite chip.

Webber’s passion for the sport was ignited by his father Brian, who introduced the sport when he was a boy. Webber was the pillar of the Australian teams which won the Junior Amateur Team Championship in 1997 and 1998.

Second placed Barr was left wondering why Macau is good to him with another runner-up finish, his best outing on the Asian Tour since losing a play-off in the Thailand Open in 2005.

“It was tough. I played tremendous. I just chipped and putted all day and almost holed one on the last to get to seven under which was a shame. But it was tremendous and I played really well,” said the Canberra-born Barr.

Leading final round scores
275 - Kane Webber (AUS) 69-65-71-70
278 - Scott Barr (AUS) 71-68-69-70
279 - Peter Karmis (RSA) 71-64-72-72, Brad Kennedy (AUS) 68-65-69-77
281 - Terry Pilkadaris (AUS) 72-72-66-71
282 - Scott Strange (AUS) 70-64-74-74
283 - Gerald Rosales (PHI) 72-68-71-72, Pat Giles (AUS) 70-70-71-72, Lu Wei-chih (TPE) 69-74-68-72, Jason Knutzon (USA) 71-69-69-74, Chinarat Phadungsil (THA) 69-68-70-76
284 - Chen Yuan-chi (TPE) 74-68-68-74, Anthony Kang (USA) 69-67-72-76
285 - Steve Elkington (AUS) 71-66-74-74, Barry Hume (SCO) 74-66-70-75, Chris Rodgers (ENG) 70-72-67-76
286 - Wang Ter-chang (TPE) 73-68-71-74, Ari Savolainen (FIN) 70-69-71-76
287 - Bryan Saltus (USA) 75-67-73-72, Tony Carolan (AUS) 71-71-72-73, Lin Wen-Tang (TPE) 67-72-74-74, Michael Wright (AUS) 69-69-74-75, Lu Wei-lan (TPE) 71-70-71-75, Hong Chia-yuh (TPE) 70-70-70-77, Jochen Lupprian (GER) 70-71-69-77

May 13, 2007

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