Hanson overcomes penalties, wins Mallorca playoff
Son Servera, Spain (Sports Network) - Peter Hanson parred the first playoff
hole Sunday to beat Alejandro Canizares and win at the Iberdrola Open Cala
Millor.
Hanson overcame a penalty for a double-hit on a chip and an unplayable lie
penalty on his back nine en route to victory. He and Canizares both closed
with four-under 66s to finish at six-under-par 274.
The playoff lasted just one hole, the par-three 18th. Canizares played first
and found a greenside bunker. Hanson then hit the green with his tee ball, but
was over 40 feet from the hole.
Hanson rolled his putt within a foot of the cup. Canizares then blasted to six
feet. He missed the par putt and tapped in for bogey.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, it was his only bogey of the day at the Pula
Golf Club. Hanson tapped in for par and his third European Tour title.
"Feels absolutely fantastic. To overcome the double-hit and hitting it
unplayable, I made a bunch of fantastic putts," Hanson said.
James Kingston took third place at minus-two after closing with a one-under
69. Christian Cevaer was the final player in red figures at one-under-par 279.
His five-under 65 was the low round of the day Sunday.
Third-round co-leaders Pelle Edberg and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano stumbled to
four-over 74s to share fifth place with Scott Hend (73) and Chris Wood (71).
They came in at even-par 280.
Hanson rolled in a 14-foot birdie putt on the first. He took the lead with a
birdie at five and made it two in a row as he rolled in six-footer for birdie
on six.
Around the turn, the Swede poured in a 20-footer for birdie on 10th to push
his lead to two strokes. At the 12th, his second shot on the par-four came to
rest against the collar of the green.
Hanson played a bladed wedge shot onto the green, but a television replay
showed that he hit the ball twice, which was a one-stroke penalty. He tapped
in what he thought was his par putt, but it was actually a bogey.
As he walked off the 14th tee, Hanson was told of the penalty. He hit his next
shot long, right of the green into an unplayable lie. Hanson played his fourth
to 20 feet and drained that putt to save bogey, which dropped him to minus-
four, where he trailed Canizares by a stroke.
"It looked strange. Of course it was a double-hit because the ball went down,
then I hit again on the way through, so it was the correct decision," Hanson
of the penalty. "After being told of the penalty, I got out of my frame of
mind and made bogey. But that putt was really tricky to make for that five."
Canizares posted eight pars and a birdie on the front nine. He dropped in
back-to-back birdies from the 10th to move to five-under. At the 15th, the
Spaniard sank a seven-foot birdie putt to get to minus-six, where he led by
two.
Hanson came back from his penalty on 14 with a 15-foot birdie putt on 15. He
ran home a long birdie putt at 17 to gain a share of the lead.
Canizares parred the final three holes to wrap up a bogey-free round. Hanson
parred the last to force the extra session.
"It feels strange to have won. I was thinking about going home on Friday and
missing the cut, but things turned around with a great four-iron on 18 on
Thursday. I knocked it stiff and made birdie and was able to fight back into
the tournament," stated Hanson, who was four-over par after eight holes
Thursday and played the remainder of the event at minus-10.
NOTES: Hanson moved to 2-0 in playoffs on the European Tour, while that was
Canizares' first playoff...This was the fourth playoff of the season for the
European Tour...The tour heads to England next week for the BMW PGA
Championship, where Paul Casey is the defending champion.
05/16 12:37:18 ET

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