| -15 P Baker (Eng); -14 P Sjolund (Swe), P Fowler (Aus); -13 A Da Silva (Bra), J-F Remesy (Fra); -12 M Jonzon (Swe), R Coles (Eng), |
| Selected others:-10 S Khan (Eng); -6 M Campbell (NZ); -4 J Haeggman (Swe); Lev T Bjorn (Den) |
| Full leaderboard |
Former Ryder Cup player Peter Baker clinched the Legends Tour order of merit by winning a thrilling MCB Tour Championship at Belle Mare Plage.
Baker, 56, led Adilson da Silva by 264 points going into the finale but the Brazilian pushed the Englishman until the last hole of the season before he secured the MCB Race to Mauritius.
Baker made four birdies in his last six holes to card a third 67 of the week.
It sealed a one-stroke win in the event over Peter Fowler and Patrik Sjoland.
Baker, who won three points in the 1993 Ryder Cup, paid tribute to his long-time friend Ian Woosnam “for giving me a kick when it was needed” after he held his nerve to win the tournament and senior order of merit in Mauritius.
The South Staffordshire player and Da Silva were never more than a stroke apart on an enthralling final day that ended with the pair hitting their final drives of the season to within eight feet of each other.
Baker was a stroke in front and therefore held the advantage because his South Africa-based rival had to win the tournament and hope his rival did not finish second in order to claim the order of merit.
But the Englishman knew a wayward approach into the water that lines the right side and the back of the par-five 18th green on the Legends course would open the door for Da Silva if he could find an eagle.
However Baker nailed a five-wood to within six feet and he punched the air in a mixture of delight and relief as it cleared the water and settled on the green.
Da Silva smiled in wry fashion, knowing his chance had realistically gone – but still drilled his own approach to 20ft.
The 51-year-old raced his eagle putt past the hole and missed the one coming back, so signed for a 69 and a share of fourth place with Jean-Francois Remesy.
Baker trundled his short eagle putt up to the hole to make sure of the birdie finish that sealed the tournament success after a captivating final day in the Indian Ocean.
His dropped shots at the 5th and 8th were remarkably his only bogeys of the week at Belle Mare Plage despite being under extreme pressure.
Australian Fowler birdied the 6th on an otherwise quiet front nine, but then gained shots at the 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th as he closed with a 68.
Swede Sjoland ended his first season on the Legends Tour in style to pip Scotland’s Greig Hutcheon to the Barry Lane Rookie of the Year title.
