Appleby wins Australian Masters golf

Victorian Stuart Appleby has posted his first Australian victory in nine years,
making a huge charge to clinch the Australian Masters at Melbourne's Victoria Golf
Club by a shot on Sunday.
The 39-year-old started the day seven shots behind the overnight leader, South
Australia's Adam Bland.
But the nine-time US PGA Tour tournament winner shot a bogey-free six-under-par
final round 65, while Bland faltered with five bogeys and three birdies to shoot 73.
American 14-time major winner Tiger Woods matched Appleby's 65 to finish on seven
under, in fourth spot, behind third-placed Victorian Daniel Gaunt, on eight under.
It was Appleby's first win on home soil since the 2001 Australian Open, but came
only three months after his last US Tour win, when he shot an incredible final round
59 to win the Greenbrier Classic by a shot.
Appleby turned up the heat on Bland during the round's middle stages, with three
birdies from holes six to 10 lifting him to eight under and within two shots of the
lead.
The pressure began to tell on the South Australian, who had led since the first
round, but began to falter badly on the greens, bogeying the seventh and eighth,
then three-putting on the 12th and 14th to slip from the lead.
Gaunt, playing with Bland, briefly claimed top spot, on nine under after 15 holes.
But he came undone on the par three 16th, missing the green, then messing up a chip
shot, to drop off the pace with a double-bogey.
While others slipped, Appleby showed immense composure, producing huge par-saving
putts on the 14th and 16th holes.
His hot form on the greens continued with a 10m birdie putt on the 17th and he
almost rolled in an eagle on the 18th, tapping in a birdie to reach 10 under.
That left Bland needing to eagle the final hole to force a play-off, and he gave
himself a chance, landing his second shot within four metres, but was just off with
his eagle putt.
Earlier, Woods finally found form at the tail-end of the tournament, picking up six
shots in his last six holes, including two eagles, as he rediscovered the putting
form that had been missing all tournament.
It was his best tournament placing since he won last year's Masters at Kingston Heath.
He afterwards said he would love to return, and that if next year's event was in the
equivalent calendar slot, that with the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne to follow
a week later, he was likely to be joined by some big-name US teammates.