Date: October 22, 2007
Author:

Webster claims emotional win

Aussie Brett Rumford has finished 11 strokes behind emotional winner, England&aposs Steve Webster, who grabbed his second European Tour victory on Sunday. When the win came the 32-year-old achieved it in glorious style, then collapsed into tears and sent a kiss to the skies. His mother Val died of cancer five months ago. Webster, out for a month recently with back trouble, shot a closing 64 in the Portugal Masters at the Victoria Club in Vilamoura to take the first prize of about $808,000 with a 25-under-par total – the lowest of the Tour season. Rumford shot a closing 70 to trail Webster by 11 strokes, with Terry Price also well back after finishing with a 71 and a seven-under-par total. Webster, who finished three ahead of Ryder Cup Swede Robert Karlsson and six clear of the rest, did not drop a stroke on the final day until the tournament was in the bag at the last. “I was thinking about her all the way round,” said Webster after hugging his father Terry by the green. “Losing my mum really knocked me about. I didn&apost even think I&aposd get my card because it was quite tough.” “It was so hard to keep my mind on my golf. I knew she was watching out for me and it&aposs an amazing feeling to play that well down the stretch.” His one previous victory in the 2005 Italian Open came 10 years after he beat Tiger Woods to be leading amateur in The Open at St Andrews. The second has come in his 308th event. One behind Argentina&aposs Daniel Vancsik at the start of the day, Webster went into the joint lead with an outward 32, then took command with a nine-foot eagle putt on the 547-yard 12th. Adding three more birdies in the next five holes gave him the chance to equal the second lowest total in relation to par in Tour history. But instead of trying for another birdie he wisely chose to avoid the water down the left, knowing a bogey would be good enough for a title that meant so much. His 64 was still the lowest closing round by a winner all year. Karlsson shot 65 himself, while joint third on 19 under were Lee Westwood, Vancsik and two more Swedes, Peter Hanson and Fredrik Andersson Hed. Final round of the Portugal Masters, Vilamoura (Par 72): -25 Steve Webster 66 66 67 64 -23 Robert Karlsson 67 68 65 65 -19 Fredrik Andersson Hed 66 73 64 66, Peter Hanson 69 65 67 68, Daniel Vancsik 64 66 68 71 Lee Westwood 65 69 67 68 -17 Ross Fisher 68 64 68 71, Martin Kaymer 61 72 69 69, Charl Schwartzel 66 67 66 72, Sam Walker 66 68 67 70 -16 Alvaro Quiros 66 66 70 70 -15 Robert-Jan Derksen 69 70 69 65, Bradley Dredge 68 72 67 66, Thongchai Jaidee 71 67 66 69, Alexander Noren 68 69 67 69 Also: -14 Brett Rumford (Australia) 67 71 66 70 -7 Terry Price (Australia) 67 73 70 71