Fraser loses out after four-hole playoff

Australian golfer Marcus Fraser came incredibly close to taking out the BMW International Open in Germany overnight after a dramatic four-hole playoff.

But England’s Danny Willett held his nerve to claim his first European Tour title at the rain-lashed tournament overnight, Australian time.

Willett, who entered the final round on top of the leaderboard, finished tied with Fraser on 11-under par at the end of the final round at the Gut Larcenhof course in Cologne. But the 24-year-old tapped in for a par in the fourth hole of the dramatic playoff after Fraser had three-putted for bogey.

“It was good fun,” said Fraser, 33, who grew up in the NSW border town of Corowa, but now lives in Melbourne. “Danny is such a great guy and he’s an awesome player – it’s the first of many tournaments for him, that’s for sure. It was nice to have a chance but unfortunately I couldn’t do it.”

Willett, who is ranked 204 in the world, described the win as “amazing”.

“It was a tough day – it was brutal with the wind whipping and it was raining,” he said.

“Marcus had a great round today and I hung in there nicely. Hopefully I gave people a good show… I’ve had some ups and downs in the last 18 months as everyone knows but I’m injury free now and back to playing well.”

Ireland’s Paul McGinley, Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and England’s Chris Wood tied one shot behind for third place.

The European Tour players will now turn their attention to trying to qualify for the British Open.