The 14th, where I holed a nice putt for birdie, was key, especially after the error at the previous hole, but then I had a really good opportunity for birdie at 17 which would have given me the outright lead. No excuses there though - I just plain pulled it.
On to the 18th and I hit 3-iron because I didn’t want to get down to the bottom of the slope and into a sandy lie; I wanted a nice full shot. The pin was cut front right, which it usually is on the final day, and we’ve all seen over the years guys make big mistakes there. I had 141 metres [154 yards] to the front of the green, and my 9-iron goes exactly 141 metres. I wanted to land it just over the bunker but the moment I hit it I knew it was a bit ‘spinny’, and it came up two yards short and plugged in the face.
Although the ball wasn’t lying great I wasn’t too worried. Without sounding too big-headed about this, I rate myself as one of the better bunker players around. I’ve probably hit 20,000 bunker shots in my life; the shot wasn’t beyond me. But I am proud of it. The ball came out perfectly and rolled up to five feet. To then hole the putt and secure the place in the play-off was awesome. I suppose I can look back at it now and say it was a career shot.
I wasn’t really nervous during the round. I was feeling the butterflies a bit before teeing off, but once you get out there you just fall into the groove of what you do. Even in the play-off I felt at ease and comfortable.
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