Briton Rose wins order of merit and Volvo Masters

SOTOGRANDE, Spain, Nov 4 (Reuters) Britain's Justin Rose rubber-stamped his European money list victory by winning a three-way playoff for the Volvo Masters title today.

Rose claimed the 2007 order of merit by making the playoff against compatriot Simon Dyson and Dane Soren Kjeldsen, which he then won with a birdie at the second extra hole.

The trio had finished on one-under 283, two strokes better than Rose's rival for the order of merit, Irishman Padraig Harrington and Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell, who sprang into contention with an albatross on the 17th.

After all three parred the first extra hole, Rose holed from 15 feet to take the 960,000 dollars first prize and was delighted not to have slipped up at the end having started the day four strokes ahead of the field.

The 27-year-old had moved to five-under by the turn but then collapsed, a double-bogey on the long 11th beginning a worrying run of four dropped shots in five holes to card a 74.

''It is a relief, I don't think there is an easy way of doing it,'' Rose told reporters. ''It was terrible. I made a couple of mental errors.

''I told myself to keep grinding out, though. On the 16th it looked dire when I was 50 ft from the flag. Two putts there were the key to hanging on.'' REUTERS NC AS0003