Homeboy Appleby wins Australian Masters

Stuart Appleby ended a nine-year drought at home by winning the Australian Masters on Sunday, rallying from a seven-shot deficit with birdies on his last two holes for a 6-under 65.

Just after Tiger Woods closed with a 65 and ensured he'd finish the year without a title, Appleby knocked in a 30-foot par putt on the 16th hole to stay in the mix, took the lead with a 25-footer for birdie on the 17th and closed with a two-putt birdie for a one-shot victory.


Adam Bland, who began the final round at the Victoria Golf Club with a three-shot advantage, missed an eagle putt 10 - foot on the last hole playoff was forced. He closed with 73 Daniel Gaunt shot 71 and was alone in third.
Champion Woods completed a full year without a victory, although he finished in style. Woods made two eagles in the last four holes, last six holes played under six and matched his best result this year with 65
Woods finished alone in fourth, his highest finish this season a memorable one. He tied for fourth Masters and U.S. Open.
About his only mistake Sunday was overcast missing the trophy presentation. Only when he heard his name on the speakers he made a dash under the stands and on the 18th hole.
He won for the second time this year after a shot 59 to win the Classic Greenbrier in West Virginia.
Appleby finished at 125 top PGA Tour money list last year for the first time since his rookie season in 1996. He had to use a one-time exception of the 50 leading career money to keep his card to buy some time to find his game.
"It really wraps things nice bow," he said.
Appleby was one shot behind Gaunt on 16 when he took his trick in a bunker thin lie, tried to play a shot and saw him run up 30 yards short. Lose shot on the hole may have been the end of it. But as he looked at the putt, which is a better chance of holing it and he did.
The two groups behind him, went Gaunt green on the back of his weak chip rolled down the hill toward him, leading to a double boogie. On the 17th, he hit only Birdie putt green pin is omitted.
Appleby won 12 time in the world, and the Australian Masters was home only event that eluded him. He finished at 10 - under 274 and earned only about $ 270,000.
What made it special was winning against the best-known faces.
"We play around the world for big money on big tournaments with large characters," he said. "But to go home to Australia, it is real. I think it hurt me too many times because I want to win. "
Woods started the final round 10 shots behind. With the secretary of his singles game in the Ryder Cup match, he played his last six holes in 6 under, including a pair of eagles, to get within two shots of the leader. With Final Birdie by Appleby, Woods finished three shots behind at 277, with approximately the winner as it has been all year.
"It would be nice if I get it to start," Woods said of his finish. "There was too little, too late. I still need some help. Unfortunately, it is not going to happen. "
Woods was 65 in the first round of the Barclays FedEx Cup playoffs begin on the PGA Tour.
He finished the calendar year without a win for the first time in his career. He won the Australian Masters last year at Kingston Heath in his world title 82 and ranked No. 1 no one can argue.
Twelve days later, however, he drove his car into a tree outside his home in Florida that led to revelations that he was cheating on his wife. Woods spent nearly five months of golf, including two rehabilitation clinic in Mississippi, back at Augusta National.
Still, there were ominous signs early on the day it does not work in his favor. Woods hit a 2 - iron on the 257-yard opening hole, he tried to put a bunker or green. Somehow, carried the bunker was located on the edge of the grass, down a lie is so serious that he was not shot, but turned it down in the sand. He missed the putt couple of 4 - to foot.
Woods also missed a putt par 3 - the foot of the eighth trailing by as many as 12 shots at one point.
Most of this was forgotten by the end - a short iron to 3 feet on the 13th, an eagle putt 45 - 15 feet, and up-down, and only the 17th green for Birdie Eagle 15 - foot on the last hole.
Woods had canceled Nike, the method 003 with a hammer shape, for the last. He has also changed putters from Scotty Cameron and his British Open. In both cases, he attributed it to slow the greens, which he fought.
"It was fun to make some putts," Woods said. "It's amazing what happens when you get a putt in the hole. It's really going in."
Woods was the upper 10s back to back for the first time each year.
It was the second consecutive week he started and finished with good grades, only to fall out of contention in two rounds in the middle. A week ago, Woods tied for sixth HSBC Champions in Shanghai, 12 shots behind.