Payne Winner At UAE PGA Order Of Merit

Dubai Country Club's Simon Payne survived a nervous wait to see if he had been disqualified at the end of the first UAE PGA Order of Merit tournament at The Montgomerie, before taking a three-way play-off at the first extra hole with a superb birdie.

Payne returned a level-par card of 72 off the formidable black tees, tied with the home club's Justin Parsons and Emirates GC's Dave Adams, but had to await a decision on whether he had infringed the rules while playing the second hole.

Payne had struck his tee shot down the left into an area where construction work was taking place and it appeared the ball was lying in "ground under repair".

Payne asked for a ruling from a nearby course marshal who said the area was "ground under repair". Payne dropped the ball away from the area with no penalty. However in the clubhouse afterwards, a query was raised as to whether the construction area had, in fact, been out of bounds, meaning that Payne should have returned to the tee and played again, under penalty.

After an agonising wait, officials decided that the area was not marked as out of bounds so Payne could proceed to the play-off alongside Parsons and Adams.

The three teed off again on the par five 18th and though Payne's three-iron from the tee was wayward, a superb five wood and seven iron left him with a 20-footer for birdie. Adams and Parsons both missed the green, and although they both came up close to the hole, Payne rolled home the winning birdie putt.

Pro Prizes

UAE PGA Order of Merit 2007-08: Tournament 1, The Montgomerie, Dubai

1 Simon Payne (Dubai Country Club) 72, Dh1,470 won at first play-off hole

2= Justin Parsons (The Montgomerie) 72; Dave Adams (Emirates Golf Club) 72, Dh1,470

4= Graham Bell (Four Seasons/Al Badia) 75, Dh630; Julius Pohjola (Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa) 75, Dh630; Steven Sweeney (The Montgomerie) 75, Dh630.