Willett gets home after epic play-off in Cologne
OVERNIGHT favourite Danny Willett justified his fourth-round market position by winning the BMW International Open,
although he needed a dramatic play-off success to shed his maiden tag on the European tour on Sunday.
Willett, who was 90-1 ante-post, led by three shots at one stage before dropping one behind Marcus Fraser only for the Australian to bogey the last and ensure extra time.
The pair played the 18th again on four occasions and both looked edgy in difficult conditions on a tricky hole before Willett was finally crowned champion.
Paul McGinley, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Chris Wood, who all finished one shot back, filled the each-way places. Fernandez-Castano, who is in the Open field, is 200-1 with Paddy Power and BetVictor to win at Royal Lytham next month.
Willett has been chalked up at 50-1 by bookmakers to follow-up this week in the Irish Open at Royal Portrush.
Rory McIlroy is a 7-1 favourite in the betting with fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell, runner-up a fortnight ago in the US Open, at 10-1 and Padraig Harrington, who was a serious presence on Sunday's Travelers Championship leaderboard, at 12-1.
Marc Leishman was the TPC at River Highlands-victor following a sensational final-round 62 and some late dropped shots by later-finishing rivals.
Leishman is 70-1 to follow-up in the AT&T National where Tiger Woods is an 11-2 market leader. Hunter Mahan can be backed at 12-1 with Dustin JOhnson at 16-1 and Jim Furyk at 18-1.
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