Johannesburg, Jan 26: Marcel Siem, whose previous best finish was fifth at the 2002 Scottish PGA Championship, birdied the par-five 18th three times in the playoff to become the second German to win the title at the venue after Sven Struver in 1996. The winner's cheque for 79,000 pounds (145,500 U.S. dollars) was the biggest of his career and Siem became the fifth player in a row to claim the Dunhill Championship as a breakthrough victory on the European Tour. In the playoff, Siem had good opportunities to clinch the title at the first two extra holes. Playing the 18th for the first time, he hit a long approach to within eight feet of the flag but missed the eagle putt. At the second extra hole, also the 18th, Siem struck his approach to 10 feet while Havret and Jacquelin both missed the green in two.


Havret landed in a fairway bunker and left his approach short and to the left. His chip went through the green and he ended up with a par to be eliminated from the playoff.


Jacquelin landed in a greenside bunker to the left of the pin, but executed a superb chip to just four feet.


Siem missed his eagle chance and, after Jacquelin had holed out for a birdie four, the pair once again trudged back up the 18th fairway.


Both players hit good drives but Siem found trouble with his second when he landed his approach against the face of the same bunker in which Jacquelin had ended up been minutes earlier.


However the Frenchman also flew the green with his approach, which landed in another bunker to the back left of the green.


Jacquelin's third shot flew past the hole, leaving him with a birdie putt from 14 feet which he missed.


Siem, however, made no mistake with his birdie chance from eight feet and the German could celebrate his debut victory on the European Tour.


Leading final round scores in the Dunhill Championship at the par-72 Houghton Golf Club on Sunday (South African unless stated): 266 Raphael Jacquelin (France) 66 65 68 67, Marcel Siem (Germany) 65 67 68 66, Gregory Havret (France) 66 69 64 67, (Siem won playoff at third extra hole) 267 Soren Hansen (Denmark) 66 67 65 69, 270 Maarten Lafeber (Netherlands) 68 69 68 65 272 James Kingston 72 67 71 62, Anders Hansen (Denmark) 65 70 71 66, Jarrod Moseley (Australia) 71 66 68 67, Lee Westwood (Britain) 68 70 66 68, Trevor Immelman 70 69 64 69, Craig Lile 72 64 66 70 273 Robert Coles (Britain) 72 67 68 66, Alan Mclean (Britain) 65 68 69 71 274 Marc Cayeux, (Zimbabwe) 68 68 70 68, Keith Horne 73 67 63 71 275 Stuart Manley, (Britain) 71 69 69 66, David Lynn, (Britain) 68 71 68 68, Scott Drummond (Britain) 72 65 68 70, Peter Lawrie, (Ireland) 68 64 72 71, 276 Titch Moore 68 66 75 67, Andrew McLardy 73 67 69 67, Bruce Vaughan (U.S) 72 67 69 68, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Denmark) 67 68 71 70, Andrew Butterfield (Britain) 68 71 67 70, Markus Brier, (Austria) 70 70 66 70, David Park (Britain) 67 72 65 72, Joachim Backstrom (Sweden) 70 70 64 72


Bureau Report