O'Malley storms to victory

Australian Peter O'Malley produced another brilliant late charge to win the Compass Group English Open at the Forest of Arden.  

O'Malley stopped Raphael Jacquelin making it two French wins in a row on the European Tour with a closing 66.

However, it needed an eagle and four birdies in a seven-hole stretch around the turn to seal an incredible victory.

With overnight leader Adam Scott managing only a 73 and England's Justin Rose, joint fourth with a round to go, crashing to a 79, it developed into a battle between the two.

And O'Malley won when Jacquelin, having holed a 30-foot putt on the 16th to draw level, bogeyed the last after coming out of sand to 10 feet and pushing the putt wide.

At the 1992 Scottish Open, O'Malley played the last five holes in an unbelievable seven under par - eagle, birdie, birdie, birdie, eagle - to beat Colin Montgomerie by two.

"That little stretch was similar sort of stuff," said the Bracknell-based player who won the £133,330 top prize. "I got on a roll and I needed to make a burst like that.

"The last six holes are pretty tough and I thought 12 under was a pretty good score. Luckily, I went one more.

"I've played the last six weeks and that's almost too much, but I'm glad I played this one."

Scott, the 20-year-old who had hoped to celebrate the completion of his first year as a professional with his second win, finished third and South African Jean Hugo was fourth.

As for those heading off to the US Open this week, Lee Westwood and defending English Open champion Darren Clarke did best, finishing joint fifth on seven under.

That was some effort from both of them considering Clarke opened with a 74 and Westwood with a 77.

For Rose, the last day was a nightmare. He double-bogeyed the fifth and eighth, both par threes, and bogeyed the two in between as well.

He finished only 26th when he was entertaining hopes even with a round to go of improving on his two runners-up finishes at the start of the year.