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Levet wins four man playoff

France's Thomas Levet birdied the third playoff hole on Sunday to defeat Mathias Gronberg, David Howell and Robert Karlsson in a playoff and win the British Masters. He became the first Frenchman to win a tournament on British soil since Arnaud Massy captured the British Open at Royal Liverpool in 1907.

The group finished regulation at 14-under-par 274, four shots clear of fifth-place Olle Karlsson.

This was the first four-man playoff on the European Tour since the 1993 Honda Open when 2001 European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance outlasted Paul Broadhurst, Johan Rystrom and Ian Woosnam.

The playoff came down to Levet and Gronberg after the first extra hole as Howell and Karlsson made bogey. At the 17th, the third playoff hole, Gronberg went first and hit his tee shot close, but the spin on the ball rolled it some 20 feet from the hole. Next up was Levet, who hit his iron shot over the flag and stopped his ball 10 feet from the hole.

Gronberg lagged his birdie putt a foot short to open the door for Levet, who sank his birdie putt for his second win on the European Tour.

"That's what we practice for, all our lives, just to get into contention in tournaments," said Levet, whose only other win came at the Cannes Open in 1998. "To get into a playoff where you get the maximum pressure is unbelievable."

At the first playoff hole, the 18th, both Howell and Karlsson found the fairway off the tee, while Gronberg landed in a fairway bunker and Levet in the left rough. Howell hit the fringe with his approach and rolled into a sand trap guarding the green. Karlsson had over 200 yards to the green and pulled his approach left into the gallery. Gronberg hit a solid shot out of the bunker but it fell short of the putting surface.

The best shot at the hole belonged to Levet. He hooked a three-iron from the left rough that stopped seven feet from the hole. Gronberg saved par after he chipped to two feet but Karlsson and Howell both missed par saves from inside of 10 feet.

Levet had to wait 11 minutes before all other players had hit their shots. He had the seven-footer for the win, but pulled the putt left.

"The shot on 18 was unbelievable," said Levet. "I hit it like I dreamt of. It was unreal. The putt was the worst of the week as well."

With the playoff field cut in half, Gronberg and Levet returned to 18 and hit their approaches to almost the same spot, off the back right portion of the green. Levet hit a poor chip that stopped 10 feet past the hole while Gronberg putted to tap-in range. However, the Frenchman stepped up and holed the putt to extend the playoff.

It was at 17, a hole Levet birdied twice in regulation, where he became the first Frenchman ever to win the British Masters.

Gronberg holed out from a greenside bunker at the fifth hole en route to a 68 on Sunday. He made five birdies in his first nine to help get into the playoff.

"It is nice to do well, of course, and I did play well all week but it is a pity to come up just one short, especially after the way I finished in normal play," said Gronberg. "I made some good shots and put myself in the position to win, but that’s the way it is sometimes."

Karlsson, who held a piece of the lead after the first two rounds, faltered down the stretch with bogeys at 14 and 16 but holed a 15-foot par save at the last to make it into the playoff. He carded a final-round, even-par 72.

Howell double-bogeyed the par-five 11th but came back with birdies at 13 and 14. Like Karlsson, Howell made a par at 18 -- a 10-footer -- to get to 14-under.

Ricardo Gonzalez and Niclas Fasth shared sixth at nine-under par.

Anthony Wall and 2000 Order of Merit champion Lee Westwood tied for ninth place at eight-under. Roger Wessels finished alone in 10th at minus-seven.

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