Price holds on to clinch victory

Britain's Phillip Price survived an anxious finish to birdie the final hole at the K Club on Sunday and win the European Open by a stroke after leading from start to finish.

The 36-year-old Welshman, who beat Phil Mickelson last year to help Europe win the Ryder Cup, closed with a two-under-par 70 for 16-under-par 272, a shot better than 49-year-old Zimbabwean Mark McNulty and Scotland's Alastair Forsyth.

Price needed his birdie at the 18th after missing a two-foot putt when bogeying the 17th.

He then called upon all the cool he had shown in beating the then world number two Mickelson in The Belfry singles by chipping and then putting from two feet to pick up a career-best $550,000 winner's cheque.

It far outstripped his other two victories, both in the Portuguese Open, and Price felt this represented a major stepping-stone in his career as he beat one of Europe's strongest fields of the year.

"The Ryder Cup was unique and it was very nice to do well, " said Price. "But it didn't give me that much confidence to win a four-round tournament.

"I suppose I've been a bit short on titles and it's really bothered me this year that I haven't won a really big tournament.

"This is good for self-satisfaction, knowing I can get the job done when the top players are here."

Price's Ryder Cup team mate Darren Clarke, looking for his second win in the event in three years, had been expected to be his chief rival, and the Northern Irishman cancelled out the three strokes he trailed going into the final round when he holed from 20ft off the green for eagle at the long fourth.

But then Clarke's iron play let him down as he ran up three successive bogeys, twice going into water, to disappear off the leaderboard. Clarke ended up tied fifth after a 71 for 12-under-par overall.

Forsyth set the target with a 68 but had to settle for his second runner-up spot in three weeks, while McNulty, who was looking for his 17th European Tour title before becoming a senior in October, gave himself hope for a playoff by shooting a 68.

The 2000 European number one Lee Westwood had his first top-10 finish since the 2001 July Scandinavian Masters, closing with a 69 for a share of ninth place on nine-under.

Price moved to sixth on the European money-list by becoming the sixth 'wire-to-wire' winner of the European Tour season.

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