BMW Masters: Marcel Siem beats Levy & Fisher in play-off

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Marcel Siem chips in to win the titleImage source, AFP
Image caption,

Siem's winning chip in Shanghai gave him his second play-off win on the European Tour

BMW Masters final leaderboard:

-16 M Siem (Ger), R Fisher (Eng), A Levy (Fr) (Siem won at first extra hole);-15 J Rose (Eng), J Donaldson (Wal); -14 R Wattel (Fr), N Colsaerts (Bel); Selected others -10: G McDowell (NI); -9 V Dubuisson (Fr); -8 T Bjorn (Den), D Howell (Eng); -7 E Els (SA); -4 S Gallacher (Sco); -1 I Poulter (Eng)

Marcel Siem won his fourth European title with a play-off victory over Alexander Levy and Ross Fisher at the BMW Masters in Shanghai.

Levy was four strokes ahead at 22-under overnight but had six bogeys and a double bogey in a round of 78.

Siem missed a six-foot putt to win the title at the 18th but returned to the hole in the play-off and chipped in from the fringe grass for a birdie.

Ryder Cup stars Justin Rose and Jamie Donaldson shared fourth, one shot back.

Image source, AFP
Image caption,

Darkness had descended in Shanghai when Siem paraded the trophy

Levy had been a collective 40-under-par for his last five stroke-play rounds following his Portugal Masters win last month, and had dropped only one shot in the previous three rounds at the Lake Malaren Golf Club as he eyed a third title of the year.

However, the Frenchman double-bogeyed the 13th to drop into a share of the lead with Siem and his fifth bogey of the day at the 16th meant he relinquished the lead for the first time since the second hole in round three as Siem moved a shot clear.

That advantage for the German did not last long as he bogeyed the next after pulling his tee shot into thick rough to the left of the par three.

Levy's approach to the last finished inches from the water but he recorded a bogey five, while Siem's putt to win with a par was weakly to the right of the cup, leaving them level at 16 under with Fisher.

The Englishman had birdied five of his opening seven holes and had completed a round of 67 an hour earlier.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Siem overcame the distraction of a marauding dog on the 72nd fairway

Levy and Fisher were in the middle of the green at the first extra hole, with Siem just short in the rough.

But after seeing Siem's chip roll into the cup, Fisher's 20-foot putt narrowly stayed out while Levy never threatened the hole from 12 feet as the German secured his first title since the Trophee Hassan in Morocco in March 2013.

It was the first event of the European Tour's Race to Dubai Final Series, four tournaments culminating with the World Tour Championship in Dubai from 20 to 23 November.

Siem will now cancel a planned holiday in Thailand to take up his place in the WGC-HSBC Champions event at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai starting on Thursday.

Fisher's round was comfortably the best of a final day that produced only four below 70, with veteran Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez carding an 88 containing a 13 at the par-four ninth, his 18th, where he hit four shots into the water.

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