Fichardt beats Kingston in playoff

South African Darren Fichardt clinched the $1.5 million Qatar Masters title when he edged out his compatriot James Kingston in a sudden-death playoff on Sunday.

Both players finished on 13-under par 275 at the Doha Golf Club after playing some 30 holes on the final day of the weather-affected tournament, the 27-year-old Fichardt sealing victory at the first extra hole.

Kingston hit his second approach shot into a bunker and missed the putt to shoot par, while Fichardt sent his third shot to three feet and holed the putt with aplomb for a birdie to secure the title and $250,000 first prize.

"I am very happy," Fichardt said. "After playing 72 holes, a playoff over just one hole is always hard. I thought James (Kingston) was going to make a birdie. But as it turned out, it was my day today."

Fichardt, who lost a playoff to Soren Hansen at last year's Murphy's Irish Open, captured his second European Tour title. His maiden win came at the Sao Paulo Brazil Open in 2001.

"I had a chance on every hole on the front nine, but nothing dropped," he said after pars on the first nine holes in the final round. "I had 18 putts for that nine.

"I was battling the pace of the green all day and the grain was standing up and making the putting difficult."

But then he birdied the 10th with 10-foot putt to go to 11-under and went on to shoot two more birdies on the 16th and 18th greens.

"The 10th was a big turnaround for me," he said. "I hit a three wood second straight let and thought it was going into the desert but found it on the edge of the green and hit a lob wedge to 10 feet and holed the putt."

Ireland's Paul McGinley was third on 11-under 277, with Briton David Howell fourth on 10-under 278.

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