OLIVER Fisher threw Thomas Levet a lifeline when he dumped his ball into the water on the final hole of normal time in the Open de Andalucia.

And the Frenchman went on to reel him in after a sudden-death shoot-out.

Fisher, at 19, and half his rival's age, looked home and dry as he stood on the last tee with a one shot lead.

But then the adrenalin took over as the three iron the Londoner hit for safety zoomed into the lake.

Levet won the hole with a par, thanks to a stroke of genius from a greenside bunker, to tie the scores at 19-under-par.

Fisher also found the sand from the tee when the pair went back to play the hole again.

And the never-say-die Levet, who feared vertigo might end his career two years ago, secured a par to deny the former Walker Cup player his maiden victory.

"I think my experience told a lot at the end," said Levet, who won the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in 2004.

"I was calm all the time and I just kept telling myself to hang on because I know from all my previous experiences in golf that anything can happen.

"Oliver made it very tough for us all day long as he was playing super golf."

Fisher added: "You learn from your mistakes - you have to learn to lose before you learn to win almost."

Earlier, Lee Westwood looked a safe bet to successfully defend the title but back-to-back bogeys at the eighth and ninth took the wind out of his sails. His closing 71 left him six shots adrift in third place.

NEW Lancashire captain Bill Bromilow got off to a winning start when his charges beat the Southport GA 11-7 at Ormskirk after taking a one-point foursomes lead into the singles.

"It was a bit like a county match because some of their players are in our first team squad," said the Chorley member.

"I was impressed with the performances of players on both sides," he added. Tweet